Changes are currently being made at the Warren County Jail, and officials are reviewing policies and procedures following Michael Burham's escape from the facility late Thursday night, according to a statement from county commissioners.

The Prison Board and Commissioners said they have met and reviewed all available information not directly involved with any criminal investigation.

As a result, they have ordered repairs on the roof of the prison yard, which is a 40' x 40' room with a cage on the top
floor of the jail facility.

"The fundamental problem is that there was a structural weakness in the cage on the roof," said Jeff Eggleston, Warren County Commissioner, during a news conference Wednesday. "That's it as far as the facility goes. If that hadn't been the case, you wouldn't be here, and we wouldn't be having this conversation."

The space will also be augmented with deterrents and safety measures. The exercise equipment will also be removed and replaced with equipment which does not provide access to higher positions in the facility.

The immediate structural fixes will be completed by the end of the week, officials said. The long-term upgrades will start right away and be completed in the coming weeks.

They are also reviewing all policies and procedures related to inmate access and observation, and changes are being made to increase security in that space.

The commissioners also said changes to the law in the past five years require prisoners to have access to yard time and outside exercise. Due to the size of the Warren County Jail, inmates are taken to the yard in shifts all day and evening.

During a meeting Wednesday, commissioners will review and vote on a potential contract with the Pennsylvania State Department of Corrections to thoroughly evaluate the jail and its policies to find weaknesses and recommend improvements. They called it an "added measure" because the state Department of Corrections investigates the jail yearly.

"Everybody wants to see Michael Burham caught," said Eggleston. "I think that's the top priority of everybody involved in this situation. This is an unfortunate situation, but everybody's going to do everything they can to get him into custody and then seek justice for everything that's happened."

 
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