10 Best Prisons In The State of Pennsylvania (2024)

If you've ever wondered what were the best prisons in Pennsylvania here's a list for you. There are some of the best prisons in the state of Pennsylvania. If you're planning a visit to a prison, this list could come in handy for you.

These are some of the best prisons in Pennsylvania, organised according to their security level. We will be covering 10 of the most common prisons, and each prison has unique features; from recreation to food, each has different aspects that make them unique.

Top 10 Best Prisons In The State of Pennsylvania

The following is a list of the ten best prisons in Pennsylvania:

  1. New Jersey State Prison
  2. USP Canaan
  3. SCI Rockview
  4. SCI Camp Hill Range
  5. FCI McKean
  6. LSCI - Allenwood
  7. SCI Greene
  8. SCI Fayette
  9. Somerset State Correctional
  10. SCI Chester

1. New Jersey State Prison

New Jersey State Prison is a minimum- and medium-security state prison in Trenton, New Jersey. It was the first prison in the United States to open continuously in 1836, making it the oldest prison in the country. Trenton State Prison used to be the name of this facility.

Approximately 1,860 adult men and women are housed at this maximum-security prison. Before the state banned capital punishment in 2007, several death row inmates were housed at the New Jersey State Prison.

There have been several riots at the New Jersey State Prison. Due to Megan's Law, the list of registered sex offenders was made public, thus saving countless lives.

2. USP Canaan

As a high-security federal prison, Canaan United States Penitentiary is located in Waymart, Pennsylvania, and houses up to 1,340 male inmates. Another 160 inmates can be accommodated in the satellite camp's minimum security. The housing units at USP Canaan are divided into six different groups.

An inmate who must be placed in a disciplinary unit is housed in a Special Housing Unit within the camp. There is a capacity of 250 inmates in this housing unit. Educational programs or work assignments are required of inmates as a condition of release. Several USP Canaan's programs are designed to enable inmates to interact with each other and specialists.

Inmates are encouraged to be physically active by the Recreation Department indoors and outdoors. As part of the facility's drug abuse prevention programs and challenge programs, inmates are encouraged to strive for self-improvement. USP Canaan's mental health programs are designed to benefit inmates.

3. SCI Rockview

Rockview State Correctional Institution is located in Bellefonte, Pennsylvania. Approximately 2,406 adult male offenders are housed in this medium-security prison. There are 103 buildings at the prison, including fourteen housing units. Multi-occupancy cells and dormitories are available at SCI Rockview.

Those who have been given the Death Penalty for male offenders are also housed at this facility to receive capital punishment. Inmates at SCI Rockview work as wood furniture makers in the Correctional Industries program.

4. SCI Camp Hill Range

The Camp Hill State Correctional Institution is a facility for receiving and classifying male offenders. The facility is responsible for assisting new inmates coming into the region who are detained at an initial stage. It is common for inmates to undergo an initial intake process involving fingerprinting, a mental and physical evaluation, and a physical examination.

During this process, inmates' security and rehabilitation needs will be determined. Nineteen different housing units are available to house 3,490 inmates at Camp Hill. SCI Camp Hill is an inmate reception and classification facility with many activities for inmates.

5. FCI McKean

The Education Department at FCI McKean offers a variety of courses to inmates. A literacy program and an ESL program are required for inmates without a high school diploma. Additionally, inmates must work five days a week in addition to their education. There will be five seven-hour shifts worked by the inmates each day.

A tutoring assignment may also include performing orderly unit duties, sanitation work, providing food services, and other duties. Approximately $17,164 are saved each year by the facility's recycling programs.

6. LSCI - Allenwood

Allenwood Low is part of Union County, Pennsylvania, a minimum security federal correctional institution. An Allenwood Low program called RDAP treats drug abuse in residential settings. Addiction to alcohol and drugs is treated in the RDAP program through a voluntary program.

A variety of education courses are offered at Allenwood Low FCI for inmates, including adult education and GED courses, as well as responsibilities for personal, social and legal development. For their work, inmates receive an hourly wage, which may be used for commissary purchases.

7. SCI Greene

The SCI Greene is a state-of-the-art, fully integrated golf course community located in Waynesburg, Pennsylvania. There are a large number of inmates on death row at this prison. There are approximately 1,760 inmates incarcerated at SCI Greene at the moment.

Eleven housing units are available to inmates; some are multi-occupancy cells, while others are open dormitories. Fifty-six inmates work in a garment factory operated by the correctional industries program.

It is one of the few correctional institutions that offers inmates education courses like basic education, ESL, and GEDs. In addition to vocational training, offenders can take business, HVAC, and refrigeration classes. For inmates, there are mental health and parenting classes, deterrent programs, and sexual offences courses.

8. SCI Fayette

SCI Fayette is located in LaBelle, Pennsylvania. The facility provides various programs and services to the residents of SCI Fayette. There are approximately 2,054 inmates currently incarcerated in this maximum security prison. Among the eleven housing units are dormitories and multi-occupancy cells that house the inmates.

Inmate labour is employed in the license plate factory at SCI Fayette through the Correctional Industries program. The metal factory is also responsible for producing metal furniture for prison cells. Various vocational programs are available (although certificates are only available for some programs).

9. Somerset State Correctional

Somerset State Correctional Institution incarcerates approximately 2,365 adult males in medium security. Among the ten facility units, two are multi-occupancy cells, and the other is a dormitory.

One unit in the SCI Somerset housing units is dedicated to people with special needs. The community work program allows inmates to participate in landscaping and cleaning the Flight 93 Memorial as part of the community work program.

A GED is available to offenders without a diploma who take courses to earn their adult basic education. For sex offenders, SCI Somerset offers mandatory high-intensity programs that treat drug and alcohol abuse. The SCI Somerset also offers special classes for violence prevention, parenting, and mental health.

10. SCI Chester

SCI Chester is a correctional facility for men located in Delaware County, Pennsylvania. A total of 1,275 male inmates are housed in this facility, an all-male prison. A special treatment program is in place at SCI Chester for male offenders struggling with alcoholism or substance abuse.

A total of fourteen housing units exist in the facility, each of which consists of pods containing cells. In addition to substance abuse treatment, sex offender programming is available to those imprisoned for sexual offences.

Among the vocational training available to inmates are carpentry, barbering, and HVAC. The program offers literacy, adult basic education, and GED preparation courses.

Inmates at SCI Chester are treated in therapeutic communities by Gaudenzia, a not-for-profit organisation. A four-month program is offered in each of these communities for 64 inmates.

Final Words

Hopefully, you've learned a little bit about some of the prisons in Pennsylvania and have a better idea of which would be ideal for you. These prisons typically offer high-quality programs that prepare inmates to be productive and positive members of society once they are released from custody.

Read more related articles:

  • 11 Famous Prisons In The State of Pennsylvania
  • 10 Best Prisons In The State of Ohio
  • 10 Famous Prisons In The State of Texas
  • Can You Visit Kerobokan Prison?
  • How Does an Inmate File Taxes In The US?
  • Can You go to Prison for Theft In the United States?
  • Ferguson Unit: Visiting Information, History of This Facility, Inmates Phone, Mail, And FAQ About This Prison
  • Pickaway County Active Inmates: How to search for Active Inmates of Pickaway County Prison
10 Best Prisons In The State of Pennsylvania (2024)

FAQs

How long do inmates stay at Sci Smithfield? ›

Today, SCI Smithfield operates as an intake facility to temporarily house inmates received as new commitments and parole violators. The temporarily housed inmates are housed at SCI Smithfield for approximately 22-28 days before transferring to their home facility or diagnostic center.

What pa state prisons are closing? ›

Now, without any apparent public process or community consultation, there is suddenly a plan to shut down multiple facilities. Five locations are currently under consideration, including SCI Waymart, SCI Retreat and SCI Frackville in northeastern Pennsylvania, and SCI Mercer and SCI Pittsburgh in the west.

What are the safest US prisons? ›

The most secure federal prison in the United States is the Administrative-maximum security prison (ADX) at the Federal Correctional Complex in Florence, Colorado. Prisoners confined in that institution have very little contact with others.

How much gate money do prisoners get when released? ›

Some Californians Released From Prison Will Receive $2,400 Under New State Re-Entry Program. Dec. 7, 2023, at 6:09 p.m.

What is a Level 6 prisoner? ›

Level 6: Eternal Hell

Eternal Hell (無限地獄, Mugen Jigoku?) is the lowest level of Impel Down. It is where prisoners who are insanely powerful, have caused crimes extremely atrocious, and/or whose mere existences have become a major threat to the World Government itself are kept.

Is Sci Smithfield maximum security? ›

State Correctional Institution – Smithfield (SCI Smithfield) is a close-security correctional facility for men on the grounds of SCI-Huntingdon, near Huntingdon in the Allegheny Mountains.

What does SCI stand for in prisons? ›

Who is in a State Correctional Institution (SCI)? The Department of Corrections operates 23 state correctional institutions (SCIs) across the commonwealth as well as one motivational boot camp.

How many hours a day are prisoners locked up? ›

The time inmates spend in their cells varies by security level, but maximum security prisoners often spend up to 23 hours a day in their cells, with one hour for exercise and shower. Medium or low security prisoners may have 8-10 hours of out-of-cell time.

Are there private prisons in Pennsylvania? ›

Although there are no private state prisons in Pennsylvania, some of the Department of Corrections' community contract facilities are operated by for-profit companies, including several operated by GEO Group.

Are Pennsylvania prisons overcrowded? ›

An examination of prison overcrowding in Pennsylvania found that State prisons are 33-percent overcapacity and proposed nine approaches to relieving overcrowding.

What state has the most murders in prisons? ›

BY BETH SHELBURNE, INVESTIGATIVE REPORTER, CAMPAIGN FOR SMART JUSTICE. 16 people were victims of homicide inside Alabama prisons in 2019, the highest number on record.

What is the most common offense in state prisons? ›

Violent offenses account for over 3 in 5 people (62%) in state prisons. Property offenses account for the incarceration of about 1 in 7 people (14%) in state prisons.

What are the three 3 general classifications of jail inmates? ›

The Federal Bureau of Prisons houses inmates at five different prison security levels. These include Minimum, Low, Medium, High, and Administrative.

What crimes are low level prisons? ›

Federal inmates at the low-security level span virtually all backgrounds and crime categories. These include drug offenders, white-collar offenders, and others. Federal correctional facility inmates typically have less than 20 years remaining on their sentence.

What is the highest level of prisoner? ›

A super-maximum security (supermax) or administrative maximum (ADX) prison is a "control-unit" prison, or a unit within prisons, which represents the most secure level of custody in the prison systems of certain countries.

What does C block mean in jail? ›

Short for Cell block in prisons.

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