DOJ closes investigation of Woods Run prison
Pittsburgh Tribune Review
DOJ closes investigation of Woods Run prison
The Department of Justice announced on Wednesday that it closed its investigation of SCI-Pittsburgh at Woods Run, also known as Western Penitentiary, about two years after corrections officers were investigated and prosecuted for sexually assaulting inmates.
The state, officials say, has implemented reforms to prevent such situations from reoccurring.
“We feel we have achieved, through our investigation, what we looked to achieve,” said David Hickton, U.S. attorney for the Western District of Pennsylvania, “which is the improvements in the conditions to bring the prison to constitutional compliance.”
At least 30 inmates were abused and sexually assaulted in the prison’s F-Block before authorities arrested seven guards in December 2011.
Targeted victims included sex offenders, or inmates who were gay, transgender and gender nonconforming. The prison, in the words of DOJ, was “badly off track” and “unacceptably dangerous.”
In mid-2011, the Corbett administration hired new leadership at the prison. By the end of that year, DOJ began investigating.
In March 2012, federal officials took their initial tour of the facility. They concluded the state should further address policies for combating sexual abuse and abuse allegations and provide an adequate system for prisoners to file grievances, among other recommendations.
Corrections Secretary John Wetzel said he credited the reforms to the staff at the prison, which implemented recommendations. The investigation at Woods Run began shortly into the Corbett administration, and Wetzel said the governor and the corrections staff “owned the fix” in order to move past the arrests.
Fixes include oversight and accountability measures, policies for abuse and misconduct investigations, prisoner screening procedures and a grievance system where prisoners can file notes in a locked box about their concerns. The department also has a manager in charge of prison rape elimination who trains staff on how to handle abuse allegations and look for potentially vulnerable populations.
Wetzel said the reforms are in place systemwide. As part of the investigation’s closure, the state pledged to have Woods Run audited and deemed fully compliant with the National Standards to Prevent, Detect and Respond to Prison Rape.
“When the Department of Justice closes out an investigation of civil rights violations, that tells you the reforms are working,” Wetzel said.
The Department of Justice announced on Wednesday that it closed its investigation of SCI-Pittsburgh at Woods Run, also known as Western Penitentiary, about two years after corrections officers were investigated and prosecuted for sexually assaulting inmates.
The state, officials say, has implemented reforms to prevent such situations from reoccurring.
“We feel we have achieved, through our investigation, what we looked to achieve,” said David Hickton, U.S. attorney for the Western District of Pennsylvania, “which is the improvements in the conditions to bring the prison to constitutional compliance.”
At least 30 inmates were abused and sexually assaulted in the prison’s F-Block before authorities arrested seven guards in December 2011.
Targeted victims included sex offenders, or inmates who were gay, transgender and gender nonconforming. The prison, in the words of DOJ, was “badly off track” and “unacceptably dangerous.”
In mid-2011, the Corbett administration hired new leadership at the prison. By the end of that year, DOJ began investigating.
In March 2012, federal officials took their initial tour of the facility. They concluded the state should further address policies for combating sexual abuse and abuse allegations and provide an adequate system for prisoners to file grievances, among other recommendations.
Corrections Secretary John Wetzel said he credited the reforms to the staff at the prison, which implemented recommendations. The investigation at Woods Run began shortly into the Corbett administration, and Wetzel said the governor and the corrections staff “owned the fix” in order to move past the arrests.
Fixes include oversight and accountability measures, policies for abuse and misconduct investigations, prisoner screening procedures and a grievance system where prisoners can file notes in a locked box about their concerns. The department also has a manager in charge of prison rape elimination who trains staff on how to handle abuse allegations and look for potentially vulnerable populations.
Wetzel said the reforms are in place systemwide. As part of the investigation’s closure, the state pledged to have Woods Run audited and deemed fully compliant with the National Standards to Prevent, Detect and Respond to Prison Rape.
“When the Department of Justice closes out an investigation of civil rights violations, that tells you the reforms are working,” Wetzel said.
Robert Storm
Eastern Region Vice President
www.pscoa.org