State Correctional Institution – Greene
Location | Franklin Twp, Greene Co, PA |
---|---|
Status | Open |
Security class | Maximum security, Supermax |
Opened | November, 1993 |
Managed by | Pennsylvania Department of Corrections |
Governor | Tom Wolf |
Warden | Robert Gilmore |
Website |
www |
Notable prisoners | |
Mumia Abu-Jamal, Jimmy Dennis, Jerry Sandusky |
SCI Greene is a maximum security prison, classified as a Supermax,[1] located in Franklin Township, Greene County, Pennsylvania, near Waynesburg, off Interstate 79 and Pennsylvania Route 21.[2][3] Pennsylvania Department of Corrections operates the prison, which houses most of Pennsylvania's capital case inmates.[3]
It is in the far southwest of the state,[4] near the border with West Virginia, in a rural area.[5]
History
SCI Greene opened in late 1993.[3][6]
Around 1996 some prisoners stated that some guards used more force than necessary to control them, and a video camera had captured evidence related to the complaint. Charles Graner, a prison guard who began working at SCI Greene in 1996, was the defendant in two lawsuits, each by a different prisoner; both lawsuits were dismissed as one disappeared after finishing his sentence and the other had submitted his lawsuit after a deadline. Graner later became known for the Abu Ghraib scandal.[5]
Facility and operations
The prison had 11 cell blocks. As of 2012 SCI Greene had 1,750 prisoners and 720 employees. The death row prisoners are in blocks G and L; they normally stay in their cells but may go to a recreational area and the library.[6] Greene was built with the newest features at the time, including central air conditioning.[5]
The prison had cable television installed at the time of its opening.[5]
Demographics
As of 2012, SCI Greene had 157 death row prisoners, about 75% of the prisoners under Pennsylvania state death sentences.[6]
As of the late 1990s many of the prisoners came from urban areas and almost 70% were black, while whites made up over 90% of the prison guards.[5]
Notable inmates
Life imprisonment:
- Juan Covington, Philadelphia serial killer
- Russell Maroon Shoatz, Convicted in the murder of Police sergeant Francis Von Colln. Founder of Black United Movement in Philadelphia; former member of the Black Panther Party and the Black Liberation Army
- Daniel "Vito" Johnson - Philadelphia rapper
- Domenic Coia, convicted in the murder of Jason Sweeney
Other imprisonment:
- Jerry Sandusky, Former Penn State assistant coach and serial child rapist[7]
Death row:
- Aaron Jones - Leader and co-founder of the Philadelphia drug gang J.B.M (Junior Black Mafia)
- Christopher Roney (alias Cool C) - Hip hop artist, convicted in the murder of Philadelphia Police Department officer Lauretha Vaird in a bank robbery
- Harvey Miguel Robinson - Serial killer.
S money - rapper
Notable staff
- Charles Graner (began in 1996, later became an Abu Ghraib prison guard)[5]
See also
References
- ↑ America's Supermax Prisons Do Torture Retrieved 2011-01-25.
- ↑ "Franklin township, Greene county, Pennsylvania." U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved on May 23, 2010.
- 1 2 3 "SCI Greene." Pennsylvania Department of Corrections. Retrieved on May 23, 2010.
- ↑ Wetzel, Dan. "Jerry Sandusky's slim chance for appeal hurt by decision to send him to supermax prison." (Archive) Yahoo! News. Thursday November 1, 2012. Retrieved on August 16, 2013.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 Lieberman, Paul and Dan Morain. "Unveiling the Face of the Prison Scandal." Los Angeles Times. June 19, 2004. Retrieved on July 9, 2016. p. 3.
- 1 2 3 Yates, Riley. "Life on Death Row." McCall. August 4, 2012. p. 1.
- ↑ "Sandusky moved to prison housing death row inmates". Associated Press.
External links
- "SCI Greene." Pennsylvania Department of Corrections.
- Abuses at SCI Greene SuperMax
- http://articles.mcall.com/2012-08-04/news/mc-pennsylvania-death-row-tour-20120804_1_solitary-confinement-junius-burno-death-row
Coordinates: 39°54′22″N 80°08′14″W / 39.9060°N 80.1371°W