Officials cut ribbon on new state prison
As SCI Graterford prepares to close its doors, the brand new State Correctional Institution Phoenix is awaiting inmates’ and staff’s arrival.
“With a clap of the wings, the nest that had served us faithfully will be no more. For Phoenix has risen and the staff and inmates who will soon occupy this astonishing facility are prepared to soar,” said Tammy Ferguson, Superintendant of State Correctional Institution Phoenix, referencing the Greek myth of the Phoenix.
The aptly named SCI Phoenix will serve as a state-of-the-art replacement for SCI Graterford, the 90-year-old maximum security prison that towers nearby. The new prison was officially dedicated with remarks from Regional Deputy Secretary Steve Glunt, Secretary of Corrections John Wetzel, State Sen. Bob Mensch and Secretary Department of General Services Curtis Topper.
“It is said that nothing worth having ever comes easy and that holds exceptionally true for SCI Phoenix,” said Ferguson. “Despite the challenges and the obstacles encountered in reaching this day, in the end, I attest that it was worth it.”
Although there have been several construction delays, SCI Phoenix officials stood together ready to cut the ribbon officially dedicating the new facility which will house over 3,000 inmates and employ 1,200 workers beginning this summer.
The $350 million, 3,830bed SCI Phoenix Prison is the largest single contract ever issued by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, consisting of 1 million square feet, according to Heery International, the design-builder for the prison. It will include two male facilities, named Phoenix East and Phoenix West, as well as a separate 192bed Female Transitional Unit outside the perimeter which will focus on reentry and family reunification. The unit will be the first of its kind in Pennsylvania.
Among some of the improvements in the new facility are security measures. The prison will have a new type of security fence that will be a significant upgrade from Graterford’s 30foot stone wall. The fences along the prison are covered at the top and bottom with razor wire and are also equipped with a detection system that would alert guards stationed in the control room if the fence was cut or otherwise manipulated, according to information provided by Walter Grunder, critical incident manager, during a tour of the facility last year. In addition to the technological advances, officials said fences are a better alternative to walls like the one at Graterford, because they allow for better visibility, an aspect that has been applied to other parts of the prison as well.
“Graterford was built in the 1930s so things like the Americans with Disabilities Act, environmental protection, will now be a part of that concept,” explained Wetzel on Friday about some of the changes in the new SCI Phoenix. “So it’s energy efficient, it accommodates individuals with disabilities, but beyond that it has great sight. If you’re a corrections officer, it’s really important that you can see everything.”
In addition, Wetzel said, officers will be equipped with GPS so that it is clear where they are at all times.
Living quarters in the new prison in each wing are also designed for safety purposes. The quarters are broken up into smaller sections and individual showers that are visible from the center of the wing have been built to make monitoring inmates easier. The set up of the living quarters is not only meant to make inmates and guards more secure, but also to improve the inmates’ quality of life by cutting down on factors such as noise, according to officials.
The new prison will also include vocational classes such as barber school, with a fully equipped barber shop facility, and other classes such as International Computer Driving License, carpentry, restaurant professions and ServSafe, warehouse operations and several others. It will also include a law and recreational library, gym and mural arts program.
“At the end of the day, that’s what it’s about,” concluded Executive Deputy Secretary Shirley Moore Smeal. “It’s about changing lives. It’s about making a difference in the lives of others and we’re confident that that’s what’s going to happen under this leadership that’s here today.”