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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE |
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State
Rep. Ronald G. Waters |
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Waters tours state correctional facility, meets with inmates
HARRISBURG, Feb. 19 – State Rep. Ronald G. Waters, D-Phila./Delaware, chairman of the Pennsylvania Legislative Black Caucus (PLBC); his staff; Rep. Vanessa Lowery Brown, D-Phila., PLBC treasurer; and members of the Pennsylvania Prison Society recently toured the State Correctional Institution at Camp Hill.
The group toured the facility, discussed correctional policies and spoke with the institution's deputies and superintendent. The group also met with some of the inmates housed in the Restricted Housing Unit to discuss serious issues of concern that had been brought to Waters’ attention.
Waters said it is important for the PLBC to respond to these issues because it is a matter of public safety.
"Ninety percent of the state's incarcerated inmates will eventually return back to their neighborhoods," Waters said. "It's to our own benefit to ensure they integrate back into society as more productive citizens."
Waters has been a long-time supporter of addressing prisoner safety issues and concerns for men and women serving time in Pennsylvania's correctional facilities. Among other House committees, he is a member of the Children and Youth, Health and Human Services and Judiciary committees.
According the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections, SCI Camp Hill opened in 1941 as the Industrial School at White Hill for young offenders. It now serves as the state's diagnostic and classification center for men and houses more than 3,600 inmates.
The Pennsylvania Prison Society was founded in 1787 and is a social justice organization that advocates on behalf of prisoners, formerly incarcerated individuals and their families. The Prison Society is headquartered in Philadelphia and offers direct services and official prison visitation through a network of statewide chapters.
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CONTACT: Amy Figard |