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"

In a special episode of Lockup Lowdown, SCI Somerset Captain Joseph Furman discusses the Sgt. Mark Baserman Scholarship, a memorial fund through the University of Pittsburgh Johnstown in honor of Sgt. Baserman. Learn about what the fund is, what its goals are and what is coming up in the future. Anyone interested in purchasing fundraising … Continue reading "A Look at the Sgt. Mark Baserman Scholarship"

In the second episode of Pracademically Speaking, Bret Bucklen dives into the Governor’s Office of Performance Through Excellence, including what it is, why it was formed and what they are doing to help the commonwealth improve efficiency. Later Bret talks with a parole agent to discover what BetaGov programs look like in the field.

The Pennsylvania DOC knows programming to increase job readiness leads to better inmate outcomes. As part of these efforts, the DOC is spearheading an effort to build a Career Pathways framework that prepares inmates with in-demand skills and connects them to jobs, support services and ongoing education upon release. In this episode, meet Dorenda Hamarlund, … Continue reading "Preparing Inmates for Success: A Look at Career Pathways"

Did you know medication is the gold standard in treating opioid addiction?  It’s no different inside our facilities, and in this episode of Lockup Lowdown, Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT) Statewide Coordinator Steve Seitchik explains. Seitchik introduces what MAT is and how it’s currently used inside DOC facilities, and he outlines where he’d like to see … Continue reading "How Medication Is Treating Substance Use Disorder"