|
|
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE |
|
State
Rep. Ronald G. Waters |
|
Waters revisits state correctional facility, finds complaints are rectified
HARRISBURG, April 3 – State Rep. Ronald G. Waters, D-Phila./Delaware, chairman of the Pennsylvania Legislative Black Caucus (PLBC), recently revisited the State Correctional Institution at Camp Hill as a follow-up to his Feb. 17 visit.
During his latest visit, Waters found that many of the complaints that had been made by the inmates in the Restricted Housing Unit (RHU) were corrected. Waters was accompanied by his staff, and Stanley Mitchell, legal counsel to Rep. Frank Oliver, D-Phila.
Waters said, "Throughout the tour, we found that the showers were cleaned and the thermostat was fixed, in addition to a new ventilation system that was installed. The cells that once were flooded with water from the toilets are dry and the walls that had mold are now mold-free with a fresh coat of paint."
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. He said he is glad the issues of concern about the RHU were brought to his attention and that they have now been resolved.
"The PLBC is pleased to see that corrective measures have been taken to ensure the safety and health of the inmates," Waters said. "I commend Superintendent Palakovich and his staff for opening their facility to us, and for the rapid response in addressing issues the inmates and the caucus had."
Waters also said RHU correctional officers who were the subject of multiple prisoner complaints have been reassigned.
During the tour, Waters and his staff were joined by Department of Corrections Secretary Jeffrey Beard; SCI Camp Hill Superintendent John Palakovich; and these corrections department officials: Jeffrey Ditty, deputy superintendent for the Diagnostic and Classification Center; Jim Barnacle, director for the Office of Professional Responsibility; Chris Chambers, unit manager of the RHU; and John Coyne, legislative liaison.
###af/2009/jma L:'print'releases'SCIcamphilltour2.191