The PA Prisons and Parole Podcast

Despite preparation and planning, COVID-19 was still able to get inside SCI Huntingdon and spread during an outbreak in May. However thanks to the creativity and adaptability of its staff, Huntingdon was able to contain the virus and keep it from being so much worse. In this episode, SCI Huntingdon leaders reflect on the outbreak … Continue reading "How Huntingdon Handled an Outbreak"

Karen Laird of the Office of Victim Advocate checks in with Lockup Lowdown to discuss what OVA does, how it supports victims and what it teaches inmates.

DOC Education Director Terri Fazio joins the podcast to give an update on what’s new in the education realm inside Pennsylvania’s prisons. Terri shares stats about how inmates fared in 2019 in their educational and vocational studies, and she provides a look ahead at some of the exciting things to come this year.

Dorenda Hamarlund came to the DOC under a grant to set up a pathway for success for inmates preparing to reenter society—and her work was so important the DOC hired her to continue in that role after the grant ended. Now as the workforce development specialist, Dorenda said she is the “Match.com for reentry” as … Continue reading "Matching Reentrants with Their New Careers"

A popular veterans program founded at Hampton VA Medical Center in Virginia has found its way to Pennsylvania—and in an unlikely setting. Veteran “X” has many roles, including educational and therapeutic, but at its core it is about veterans helping each other in a group setting. The program has existed since 2009, and last year … Continue reading "Veterans Helping Veterans… Inside the Fence"

As the elderly population in America eclipses younger generations, programs and services for senior citizens are more important than ever—and it’s no different inside our prisons. William Penn Fellow Ebony Johnson is a gerontologist who works directly with aging inmates to learn about their wellness needs. Ebony has interviewed elderly inmates in DOC facilities and … Continue reading "Aging in Pennsylvania Prisons"

A new partnership between the DOC, Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources and the Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay is giving inmates the chance to help the environment—and help themselves in the process. In this episode of Lockup Lowdown, meet DCNR’s Shea Zwerver who has led the Riparian Forest Buffer Vocational Training Program and … Continue reading "A Second Chance for Inmates and the Environment"

In 2012, SCI Huntingdon began an Impact of Crime class to help inmates understand their crimes from their victims’ points of view. In this episode of Lockup Lowdown, Unit Manager Tim Strait and Corrections Counselor Lisa Sheeder discuss how the class works, who is involved with it and why this course is important for inmates.

In this episode, we talk to the PA DOC’s first ever winner of the Staff Innovations Award, Parole Agent Louis Zayon, about his lead in cleaning up a large open air drug market in Philadelphia. We also talk with Stanford University psychiatrist Keith Humphreys about what we know and don’t know on effective criminal justice … Continue reading "Innovations Around the Opioid Epidemic"

With 33 percent of inmates in need of mental health services, the PA Department of Corrections knows the importance and delicacy of handling mental health crises. The DOC implemented Crisis Intervention Training to educate employees on how to handle situations when they arise. In this episode, CIT Program Manager Jim Kehoe explains the program’s history … Continue reading "Deescalating Situations with CIT"

Since 1991, many Pennsylvania inmates have had an alternative option to the standard sentence at a state prison. The hours are tough, the work is hard and the program is grueling—but it could drastically shorten the length of prison time. Welcome to the Quehanna Boot Camp, a hybrid between corrections and the military that gives … Continue reading "A Different Type of Corrections"

In 2014, SCI Forest was experiencing a major increase in violence—and something had to be done. The facility created a Violence Reduction Strategy to decrease violence and protect staff. In this episode of Lockup Lowdown, SCI Forest Superintendent Derek Oberlander outlines the history of this project and how it led to a 72.5 percent decrease … Continue reading "Using Focused Deterrence to Reduce Violence"

In this episode, a team of Industrial Engineers from Lehigh University (now affiliated with a start-up company called Optamo) talk about the Inmate Assignment and Decision Support System (IADSS) that they built for PA DOC.  This innovative system is the first of its kind in the country.  We also talk with current and former staff … Continue reading "Understanding IADSS"

Unlike most employees of the Pennsylvania Department of Banking and Securities, Becky MacDicken spends most of her days in a prison. Becky travels all over the state teaching inmates all about finances and why it’s important. Originally she just started with soon-to-be-released Juvenile Lifers, but her role expanded when staff realized most inmates could benefit … Continue reading "Bustin’ Walls: Meet Becky MacDicken"

Dr. Cynthia Wright, a DOC regional licensed psychologist manager, just wanted to bring her dog to work. It was as simple as that. Now her love for her pup has taken her far beyond what she expected as she now studies and advocates for the amazing benefits of animal-assisted intervention in prisons. In this episode, … Continue reading "Pups in Prison"