On July 31, 2024, the PA DOC, along with Penn State University, hosted their first ever Corrections Innovation Day. The event brought PA DOC staff from various levels and types of positions together with a large group of academic partners in order to brainstorm around innovative and testable solutions to some of the department’s most important issu…

This month, the PA Prisons and Parole Podcast visits one of our most unique facilities and one of our newer facilities in SCI Muncy and SCI Fayette. SCI Muncy Deputy Superintendent for Centralized Services William Frantz kicks off the episode by discussing how the history of the facility impacts its current layout as well as the main vocational opp…

In the second part of this month’s series, we talk with Jason Stauffer, the PA DOC’s Supervisor of Assessment and Classification Services. Jason talks about his background in corrections and assessment, how the PA DOC uses risk and needs assessment, and specifically how the PA DOC uses their new Strong-R assessment instrument.…

In the first part of this month’s series, we talk with the team at Vant4ge, a company that produces a correctional risk/needs assessment tool called the Strong-R. We discuss what risk/needs assessment is, and also discuss its importance in the corrections field. The Vant4ge team talks about what new developments are happening in the risk/needs asse…

As we cross the midpoint in our prison tour around the Commonwealth, we meet with the superintendents of two eastern facilities: SCI Dallas and SCI Phoenix. Dallas Supt. Jasen Bohinski discusses the unique programs at his facility—including the highly popular horticulture program—as well as the Veterans Service Unit, which was the first in the DOC.…

In this follow-up episode, we continue our discussion on the concept of “desistance” with a very special guest: Dr. Laurel Harry, Secretary of the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections. Sec. Harry talks about her career and about her interest in implementing desistance as a practical framework in the field of corrections.…

In this episode we discuss the concept of “desistance,” an idea which has been around for a while in academic criminology but is only now beginning to catch on among corrections practitioners and policy-makers. Dr. Bucklen describes what desistance is, discusses how to define and measure it, and explains its practical use as a complimentary measure…

SCI Coal Township Supt. Tom McGinley kicks off this episode with a conversation about his facility. Later in the show, two of SCI Pine Grove’s original employees—Lt. Jason Townsend and Administrative Officer Jessica Purcell—join the PA Prisons and Parole Podcast to discuss the first 20 years of the facility, as well as its Young Adult Offender prog…

In this episode we talk with two key leaders at the PA DOC, Deputy Secretary Chris Oppman and Deputy Secretary Lucas Malishchak, about how the areas under their purview within the department use research and statistics to make better decisions.โดย The PA Prisons and Parole Podcast

In this first episode of the re-launched podcast we talk with Dr. Bret Bucklen (PA DOC Director of Planning, Research, and Statistics) about what his office does and what value it brings to the department. We explore the importance of research and evaluation in corrections.โดย The PA Prisons and Parole Podcast

This month, the PA Prisons and Parole Podcast visits two of our most unique facilities: deep in the heart of a city with SCI Chester and out in the middle of rural PA with Quehanna Boot Camp. Our first guest is Maj. Scott Carter, who breaks down how QBC operates and the overall philosophy behind its approach to treatment and rehabilitation. Later i…

The PA Prisons and Parole Podcast tour around our facilities continues this month as we shine a spotlight on SCI Camp Hill and SCI Rockview. Drug and Alcohol Treatment Manager Bernie Comiskey shares about how Camp Hill serves as our classification center and what inmate family members should know about the process, before Superintendent’s Assistant…

We dive deep into the history of SCI Cambridge Springs with lawyer David Matejcyzk, who shares all about the Alliance College that used to inhabit the grounds of the current prison. Matejcyzk has strong family ties to the school and shares about why the school was formed, what famous alumni and visitors have ties to the school, and even how Cambrid…

Superintendent’s Assistants Christie Schenk of SCI Somerset and Holly Quist of SCI Benner Township join the show to share about their respective facilities and what makes them unique, including the programs, the people — and the massive amount of laundry they both process. Christie also discusses their dog training program, as Somerset is the only …

Throughout 2024, the PA Prisons and Parole Podcast will spotlight our state correctional institutions to highlight the history, culture and programs each has to offer. First up: SCI Waymart and SCI Albion. Deputy Superintendent for Facilities Management Joseph Grillo of Waymart shares about the history of the facility — which was originally Farview…