HARRISBURG -- The Rendell administration's decision to reopen the state prison in Pittsburgh is only the first of several major steps it's taking to deal with a dismaying fact of life -- the continuing surge in the state's prison population.

The prison system is already at 44,365, or more than 4,000 over its capacity of 40,172. Each month, 125 inmates are being added, or 1,500 a year, Corrections Secretary Jeffrey Beard told state legislators at an appropriations committee hearing last week.

"There is no question we have a rapidly growing inmate population," Mr. Beard said. "It's a concern to me because it's putting pressure on the prison system. As long as the population keeps going up, we will have to build more prisons."

And that's exactly what he wants to do. His 2007-08 capital budget request includes $539 million to build three new facilities: a 2,300-inmate prison on the grounds of a current state prison in Dallas, Luzerne County; a 2,000-inmate facility at another existing prison in Rockview, Centre County; and a 2,000-inmate prison at the current state prison at Huntingdon, Huntingdon County.

"These capacity-building initiatives will result in substantial, increasing and unrelenting costs to Pennsylvania's taxpayers,'' Mr. Beard said.

In addition, the Department of Corrections plans to add 750 beds, and eventually as many as 1,500, by reopening State Correctional Institution Pittsburgh, better known as Western Pen. It closed two years ago.

"After two years of being in mothball status, the reactivation of this facility provides a logical and timely solution for addressing population growth," Mr. Beard said.

The first 750 beds will be in use by the end of this year and another 750 could be added next year, said department spokeswoman Susan McNaughton.

The prisoners housed there will be those suffering from drug and alcohol addictions and other substance abuse problems, inmates who are considered to be "low to minimum security risks," she said.

SCI Pittsburgh dates to the 1880s. So far, the corrections department expects to keep it open only for the next three to five years. But Rep. Don Walko, D-North Side, is hoping the facility will stay open longer, because it will add jobs in his district. He also hopes the new employees at the prison don't have to worry about moving to another prison in three or so years.

"Why close it again in only three to five years?" said Mr. Walko. "I'm going to urge them to think in terms of permanency in keeping it open. Let's maximize the use of the state's financial investment."

Corrections' new operational budget for 2007-08 calls for an increase of nearly $200 million, for a total of $1.6 billion. About $32 million of the increase would go to reactivate Western Pen.

And there's more expansion under way for the department. More than 800 new beds will be added at four other facilities: Coal Township in Northumberland County, Cambridge Springs in Crawford County, Pine Grove in Indiana County and Forest in Forest County.

Once all these new facilities are open, the prison system will have space for nearly 49,000 inmates. And yet, Mr. Beard warned, "If the inmate growth rate continues at or near the current rate of growth, we will run out of prison beds by December 2012.''

The Legislature and Gov. Ed Rendell must decide whether to include Mr. Beard's requests for the three new prisons in the state capital budget. If they are included, specific action by Mr. Rendell still would be needed to release the money. But given the growing prison population, there seems little question that the money will be spent.

The burgeoning prison population also requires more to be spent on day-to-day operations, such as guards, food, utilities and medicine. Of the $200 million increase in the Department of Corrections' operational budget for next year, $68 million is needed for personnel costs and benefits. That's in addition to the $32 million needed for staffing at the reopened SCI Pittsburgh.