In recent months, Pennsylvania has been troubled by a troubling rise in jailbreaks, prompting questions about the security and functionality of local county correctional facilities. A wave of jailbreaks, the most recent occurred in late August with the escape of a convicted murderer from a Chester County institution, stunned the state, marked the fourth high-profile escape this year.
These incidents aren’t isolated to just one facility. Similar occurrences have been reported from across the state, including both Philadelphia and Warren County. In Philadelphia, two inmates exploited a breach in the recreational yard fence while in Warren County, an inmate made a daring escape from the exercise room. A common factor in all these incidents is the escapees were from county-ran facilities, a significant departure from state prison facilities.
Don Hummer, a leading criminal justice academic at Pennsylvania State University at Harrisburg, expressed that county jails operate under a less stringent, highly variable organizational culture compared to state prisons. The lack of a unified approach negatively impacts the standardization of security protocols, contributing to the problem at hand.
While escapes from Pennsylvania’s jails have been making headlines this year, it remains difficult to contrast these figures with comparable data from other states, due to the absence of a concise, nationwide database that accurately tracks US jailbreaks. Despite such, experts assure the public of the rarity of these occurrences. Within Pennsylvania, however, it’s evident that the problem is primarily rooted at the county level, opines Jordan Hyatt, a criminology professor and the director of the Center for Public Policy at Drexel University.
Of the noteworthy jailbreaks this year, the most significant arose from Chester County Prison with the escape of Danelo Cavalcante, a convicted murderer, who had not yet been transferred to a state prison. Cavalcante scaled walls and cut through razor wire, remaining at large for two weeks before being recaptured. Similarly, in May, another inmate executed a similar escape plan from the same institution. Although officials attempted to enhance the security measures after this incident, the human element of error proved to be a significant hurdle.
Around the same timeframe, Philadelphia experienced an escape by Ameen Hurst and Nasir Grant, who allegedly cut a hole in a recreational yard fence in the Philadelphia Industrial Correctional Facility. Both were apprehended days later, and three individuals, including another inmate, face charges in connection with their escape.
In July, Warren County reported the daring escape of Michael Burnham, an arson and burglary suspect, who absconded through a hole in an exercise room before fashioning a makeshift rope to descend from the facility’s roof. He was apprehended after more than a week at large.
While the terms ‘jail’ and ‘prison’ are often used interchangeably, it’s crucial to understand their differences. Jails, managed at the county level, cater to short-term incarceration, predominantly pre-trial detention or sentences less than two years long. In comparison, state or federal government-run prisons accommodate convicts serving longer sentences and offer more extensive resources and services, such as rehabilitation programs.
Staffing issues have plagued correctional facilities recently due to labor market dynamics and the challenges associated with correctional work. These issues are prevalent in local county jails, exacerbating the problems associated with inmate management. Don Hummer emphasized the need for regular security reviews instead of drastic changes to protocols as a means to address potential security vulnerabilities going forward. He reaffirmed the adequacy of current security measures but hinted at the need for a more prudent approach in addressing potential weak points regularly. Despite these concerning incidents, experts maintain that escapes from correctional facilities remain incredibly rare.