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Westmoreland County Seeking Warden for
Prison: County Ending Two-Year Relationship with Private Management Company
Posted 04-17-2003
The Westmoreland County Board of Commissioners today announced it is seeking
candidates for warden of the County Prison. The county is ending its contract May 31 with
Cornell Companies, Inc. of Houston Texas, to manage the prison.
"Overall, we have been pleased with
Cornell's performance," said Commissioner Tom Balya. "This decision is not a
reflection of the work that Cornell has done or the programs it has helped implement to
improve prison operations. But from a financial standpoint, it is better to hire a warden
and end our relationship with the company."
Cornell was hired in May 2001 at a cost of
$30,000 per month to manage the prison. Cornell provided the county with a warden, deputy
warden, and the administrative resources and expertise of the management company.
"Cornell came in under very difficult
circumstances two years ago and did a terrific job in tightening security and restoring
the public's confidence in the prison, thanks in large part to the day-to-day leadership
of Warden Mike Millward," Commissioner Tom Ceraso added. "Now that we’ve
accomplished those goals, and given the fiscal realities of the management contract, we
have decided to move in another direction."
Throughout the county's two-year
partnership with Cornell, the prison came into compliance with all state recommendations
and mandates, added nationally-accepted policies and procedures, satisfied requirements to
house federal INS inmates, and revamped the work release program to increase
reimbursements from inmates.
Cornell will continue to manage the prison
until the contract expires May 31.
Classified advertisements for a new warden
will begin running in area newspapers this weekend. Qualified applicants should submit a
resume, cover letter, and salary requirements by May 9, 2003, to Westmoreland County Human
Resources Department, 2 North Main Street, Suite 108, Greensburg, PA 15601.
Applicant requirements are available
through the Westmoreland County home page at www.co.westmoreland.pa.us.
The Westmoreland County Prison, located off
U.S. Route 119 in Hempfield Township, is a 516-bed maximum-security facility that opened
in March 1993. |
