SCI Spotlight: Greene and Laurel Highlands

Our podcast’s tour of DOC facilities is winding down with only a few left, but not before a chat with SCI Greene and SCI Laurel Highlands.

This episode kicks off with a chat with Greene Superintendent Randy Evans and Deputy Superintendent for Centralized Services Mark Dialesandro. The duo share about Greene’s PA Correctional Garment Shop, its unique vocational programs, and its culture among staff and with the community.

Later in the show, Laurel Highlands Facilities Maintenance Manager Michael Kubek discusses his prison, including its unique role in caring for elderly inmates and inmates needing intensive medical support.

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Episode 11: Prison Violence (Bill Nicklow)

In this episode we speak with Bill Nicklow, deputy superintendent for facility security and special operations at the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections.  Bill talks with us about the practical side of efforts to reduce prison violence.  He also shares highlights of his long and interesting career in the department.  Bill provides context to the prison violence report by Dr. Nancy Rodriguez, which we spoke with her about on the last episode.

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Episode 10: Prison Violence (Dr. Nancy Rodriguez)

In this episode we speak with Dr. Nancy Rodriguez from the University of California-Irvine about a multi-state project that she and several of her colleagues have been conducting for the past five years to examine the causes and consequences of prison violence.  As this project is now coming to a close, Dr. Rodriguez shares with us some of the major findings from the project.  She also shares relevant practical implications for the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections.

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SCI Spotlight: Frackville and Mahanoy

Our podcast visits Schuylkill County this month as we shine a spotlight on SCI Frackville and SCI Mahanoy. This episode kicks off with Mahanoy Superintendent’s Assistant Jen Mahally sharing about her facility and its various programs, including how the Pennsylvania Correctional Industries warehouse provides job skills that can be invaluable to reentrants after release. Later in the show, Frackville Superintendent Kathy Brittain and Superintendent’s Assistant Beth Lazusky discuss their facility’s programs for inmates, including its laundry program, and their excitement for the upcoming annual graduation ceremony.

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Episode 9: A Tribute to Mark Kleiman (Part 2) – SCF Supervision

In this episode we continue to remember the life and legacy of Mark Kleiman.  We review perhaps his most important practical contribution to the field, what he called Swift, Certain, and Fair (SCF) Supervision.  The principles of SCF Supervision were laid out in in his 2009 book, “When Brute Force Fails.”  We discuss various ways that the PA Department of Corrections has implemented the principles of SCF Supervision.

Additional Resources on “When Brute Force Fails” and SCF Supervision:

  1. Order a copy of “When Brute Force Fails”
  2. PDF version of early copy of “When Brute Force Fails”
  3. PA DOC review of WBFF in “Research In Review”
  4. PEW review of HOPE
  5. “Fixing The Parole System” article
  6. SCF Resource Center link
  7. Mark Kleiman video: “Filling Up Prisons Without Fighting Crime”

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