Delaware County Recognizes May 7-13 as National Correctional Employees Week

Released: May 5, 2023

Delaware County Council recognized May 7-13 as National Correctional Employees Week during the May 3 public Council Meeting.

Established by President Ronald Reagan in 1984 as a way to thank correctional officers for their service and celebrate their contributions to society, various U.S. agencies use the week as an opportunity to honor correctional officers in jails, prisons, and community correctional facilities nationwide.

“Council commends the team of exceptional correctional officers we have serving at the George W. Hill Correctional Facility,” said Delaware County Councilman Kevin Madden, who also serves as the Co-Chair of the Jail Oversight Board. “These trained law-enforcement professionals are dedicated to maintaining a safe correctional facility and ensuring public safety. They also work to provide correctional facility residents with direction, hope, and a new focus while assisting with reentry and life outside of the correctional facility.”

The rehabilitation of inmates and reduction of recidivism is a key goal of County Council, the Jail Oversight Board, and Prison Warden Laura Williams and her staff.

The George W. Hill Correctional Facility recently celebrated the one-year anniversary since the County’s April 2022 deprivatization of what had been the only privately managed county prison in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. The transition of control from the private management firm to full County operational control and management was the result of a multi-year process of study and planning. Under County leadership and direction, the prison is now placing an emphasis on reducing recidivism and providing incarcerated people with stabilizing tools that will better prepare them to successfully transition back into the community.

The County’s correctional officers and employees serve admirably in various capacities, including as jail administrators, nurses, mental health professionals, supervisors, social workers, case managers, educators, chaplains, directors, dietary workers, commissary workers, and program coordinators. Under the leadership of Prison Warden Williams, they are responsible for the custody, care, and rehabilitation of thousands of correctional facility residents every year, as well as the maintenance of a safe and secure facility.

In recognition of National Correctional Employees Week, Council presented a resolution to Warden Williams and correctional professionals including Deputy Warden Lisa Mastroddi, Major Albert Pleasant, Major Richard Leach, Investigator George Rhoades, Program & Reentry Administrator Kelly Shaw, and Health Services Administrator Kristen Grady.

“We are grateful to County Council and Executive Leadership for their recognition of the men and women of George W. Hill — true heroes who have committed their lives to civil service while maintaining care, custody, and control of incarcerated persons throughout their navigation of the legal justice system,” said Warden Williams. “Correctional professionals are some of the most resilient and resourceful individuals who maintain commitment to their duty even when infrastructures fail, population needs change, or global pandemics arise. Correctional agencies are cities within cities — self-sustaining and managing the needs of a large populations of persons. We are exceptionally fortunate to have a facility of incredible employees within this county.”