Correctional Forum

Guards behaving badly: Graterford

4 Graterford guards charged

Hey, that doesn't sound too bad...

From SignOnSanDiego.com:

Prison guards are paid more than $70,000 in base salary under their current contract, although hundreds of correctional and parole officers earn more than $100,000 with overtime. Overtime nearly doubles the salaries of some guards.  ...

The Department of Personnel Administration's proposal includes 5 percent pay raises each of the next three years. With benefit improvements, the contact would give correctional officers the equivalent of a nearly 20 percent pay increase, department spokeswoman Lynelle Jolley said.

Administration imposes new contract on state prison guards

Unbelievable: Is this justice?

Bail denied for man charged in death of police officer

By Inquirer staff

     

A judge has denied bail for William J. Barnes, 71, who shot a Philadelphia police officer four decades ago.

Judge James DeLeon did agree to have Barnes kept in the medical unit of Graterford Prison and away from the general prison population.

Officer Walter T. Barclay was shot Nov. 27, 1966, when he and another officer interrupted a predawn burglary at a beauty shop in East Oak Lane. One bullet pierced his spine and paralyzed him. He died last month at age 64.

Barnes was charged with murder earlier this month after Barclay's death.

In recent weeks, the case has become shrouded in controversy. Relatives who saw Barclay suffer throughout his life say Barnes must be held accountable. Some who know Barnes say he has changed, has served his time, and should be free.

In the 1960s Barnes was arrested, convicted, and sentenced by Judge Herbert Levin to 10 to 20 years in prison for the shooting and related offenses. The state Department of Corrections said Barnes had served all 20 years, but District Atorney Lynne Abraham said earlier this month that Barnes had served 15 years of a 7 1/2- to 15-year sentence for the shooting of Barclay.

Altogether, she said, Barnes has spent 48 of his 71 years behind bars, at the end undergoing what he described as a transformation that turned him away from a life of crime.

The case was revived Aug. 19, when Barclay died at a hospital in Bucks County and the county coroner ruled the death a homicide.

Tuesday's International: U.K. Prison Guard Heroics

Though we may say we love our pets, how many of us would be willing to give our dogs or cats CPR? Yet that's exactly what prison officer Steve Tugwell did to save his correctional partner's life. “It wasn’t pleasant — Frodo’s mouth was horribly smelly — but it saved his life and I wouldn’t hesitate to do it again,” Tugwell told The Sun.

Man gives dog the kiss of life

Prison guards lose case over lawyers

The Associated Press' Mark Scolforo tried to make sense of a complicated legal decision today regarding guards in state prisons and mental hospitals, which means that the state can refuse to provide counsel for those charged with criminal conduct.

For more on the ruling, go here.

No more corruption in Florida?

Well, not the whole state of Florida, of course, but supposedly at least in the Florida correctional system. Almost a year and a half ago, the state's Corrections Secretary was indicted for accepting bribes and he wasn't the only one. But new boss James McDonough (pictured) has put effort into making sure the Department is in proper shape -- both ethically and physically (he's requiring employees pass a fitness test).

According to Tallahassee's CBS 4, since he came onboard, McDonough fired the warden in charge of Florida State Prison, the No. 2 at the prison system's medical center, seven other officials, many people at Hendry Correctional Institution, and 13 prison employees in the Everglades. He also nixed the prison healthcare contract, among other changes.

Florida Prison Boss: Organized Corruption 'Gone'