Vermont inmates, officials assessments of Pennsylvania prison differ

Since Vermont's 269 out-of-state prisoners moved to Pennsylvania a few weeks ago, Vermont Department of Corrections officials have been on site to ensure the transition is as smooth as possible, an agency official said. 

At the same time, Vermont prisoner advocates and the Burlington Free Press have received letters of complaint from inmates alleging a hostile environment and unfair treatment at Pennsylvania's SCI Camp Hill. They have also raised concerns about property and protocols. 

Suzi Wizowaty, the now-former executive director of Vermonters for Criminal Justice Reform, said in late June she feels these complaints are not being expressed to Vermont Department of Corrections officials since guards with the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections may be in earshot and the inmates fear retaliation. Grievances about conditions at the Pennsylvania prisons also now funnel through the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections system. 

“In Michigan, the concern was really about property and lack of attention," Wizowaty said. "Here the concern is about a hostile atmosphere and more abusive treatment." 

Last week, new executive director Tom Dalton said he had no information to show that the situation had changed.

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Mike Touchette, Deputy Commissioner for the Vermont Department of Corrections, said in an email that Vermont officials have been meeting daily with Vermont inmates and Pennsylvania officials to assist with the transition.

A note to Vermont's legislators forwarded by Touchette to the Burlington Free Press states that Vermont's Corrections Department has also been working with legislators and Gov. Phil Scott's office to review concerns and allegations of mistreatment. The process has been difficult since many of the complaints lack context or details needed for verification, the note states.

"As with any previous move, it will take some time for things to settle in and to get all Vermont inmates questions and concerns addressed," the note states. "Receiving 269 inmates at one time requires a fair amount of time and organization to process and go through the receiving process. Between PADOC and VTDOC, we anticipate that most questions or concerns can be addressed quickly."

Wizowaty said last week it is difficult to confirm many of the complaints on her end too, but that many inmates appear to be citing the same difficulties — extremely short showers once per day, dirty facilities, only being issued one pair of clothing, and constant yelling and "harassment" from prison guards. 

One inmate wrote about the conditions in a letter dated June 23. 

"The place is really bad," he wrote. "The staff are very rude and assaultive. ... The language they use is very vulgar no professionalism at all. They call us (expletive) yanks and syrup drinkers, child molester."

He added, "If you take to long in the shower you don't get to eat. I was told meals here are a priviledge not a right."

Another inmate wrote on June 13, "It seems that this place wasn't ready for us, not in the building that we were suppose to be in, as the contract states. ... This place would not pass any health codes, really not live-able." 

Pennsylvania Department of Corrections spokeswoman Amy Worden disputed this account of the prison, saying the prison is "spotless," and that she had seen this first-hand during a tour last month. 

"Camp Hill is accredited by the American Correctional Association, having met many of the association’s high standards continually over the years," she wrote in an email. 

Worden also said that many of the protocols in place are for inmates' safety since Camp Hill is one of Pennsylvania's biggest facilities. 

"Inmate care and security is important to this agency and to this facility," she wrote. "Routine also is important when operating a prison. Therefore there are time limits to showers."

Wizowaty also said that prisoners did not have immediate access to Vermont's laws — a Constitutional right — and had no designated phone line on which their lawyers could reach them. 

A list of rules for the facility sent by one inmate also states that inmates get an opportunity to make one 15-minute phone call every four days, which includes calls to their lawyers.

Touchette said the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections law library will be getting the Vermont statutes and Lexis Nexis, but the contract is in progress. 

Despite the complaints, some inmates appear to like the new facility, according to the note to legislators. Six inmates who had been in protective custody in other prisons chose to live in general population instead after learning about how the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections would keep them safe, the note states. 

"Camp Hill is clearly different than previous facilities, given the size and overall movement," the note states. "PADOC staff are direct and clear in their communications and operations are closely controlled." 

The note added, "Vermont DOC is paying attention to the overall transition progress. Several areas will continue to be observed, as we anticipate some enhancements to the current operations. These areas include increased times for showering, out of cell time and laundry services."

Vermont Defender General Matt Valerio said members of his office would be traveling to the Pennsylvania facility in the next few weeks to try to speak to officials and see if any complaints can be corroborated. 

"As far as I can tell, they're not going to talk to us very much," Valerio said of the Pennsylvania officials. "And they don't have to."

Valerio said his office is feeling a bit "hand-strung" in its ability to investigate incidents and make change in the out-of-state facility since Vermont's inmates in Pennsylvania are under the new state's department rules. He said his office's role will be as a conduit for complaints and information from the inmates in Pennsylvania to work with institutions in Vermont to support the legal rights of the out-of-state inmates.

Valerio said this transition is different from others since Vermont's inmates are no longer the only ones in the prison and are part of a much larger inmate population. He said culture appears to be different from Vermont's prisons too, but he feels that some of the issues will go away as the inmates settle in. 

"The Pennsylvania facility is, as most government facilities tend to be, a highly bureaucratized, very rule-oriented and very security-oriented type of place that doesn't allow the type of freedom of movement within the facility," Valerio said.

Worden, a spokeswoman for Pennsylvania's Department of Corrections, said the state institution believes the transition has gone smoothly. She also said the facility is treating Vermont's inmates equal to Pennsylvania's.

"Vermont inmates’ concerns are being addressed appropriately," she wrote in an email. "We have not been notified otherwise."

Contact Elizabeth Murray at 651-4835 or emurray@freepressmedia.com. Follow her on Twitter at @LizMurrayBFP.