Schyulkill County has officially begun moving male prisoners to a facility near Philadelphia to reduce overcrowding at the county's prison.

Nine inmates at the Schuylkill County Prison were transferred Friday morning to the George W. Hill Correctional Facility in Delaware County.

The state Department of Corrections mandated that Schuylkill find a way to reduce the population almost a year ago. They wanted the county to curb the practice of housing three inmates in a cell intended for two.

The commissioners negotiated with several counties to find the lowest cost to incarcerate the transferred inmates. The cost to incarcerate at the facility will be $65 per day, compared to the $45 it costs to house a prisoner at Schuylkill County Prison.

Six female inmates have already been transferred to the State Correctional Institute at Muncy.