State Correctional Institution – Greene

SCI Greene is a maximum security prison, classified as a Supermax,[1] located in Franklin Township, Greene County, Pennsylvania, near Waynesburg, off Interstate 79 and Pennsylvania Route 21.[2][3] Pennsylvania Department of Corrections operates the prison, which houses most of Pennsylvania's capital case inmates.[3]

State Correctional Institution Greene
LocationFranklin Twp, Greene Co, PA
StatusOpen
Security classMaximum security, Supermax
Capacity1,853
Population1,717 (as of September 30, 2019)
OpenedNovember 9, 1993 (1993-11-09)
Managed byPennsylvania Department of Corrections
GovernorTom Wolf
WardenRobert Gilmore
WebsiteSCI Greene
Notable prisoners
Mumia Abu-Jamal, Jimmy Dennis, Jerry Sandusky

It is in the far southwest of the state,[4] near the border with West Virginia, in a rural area.[5]

History

SCI Greene opened in late 1993.[3][6]

Around 1996, some prisoners stated that some guards used more force than necessary to control them, and a video camera had captured evidence related to the complaint. Charles Graner, a prison guard who began working at SCI Greene in 1996, was the defendant in two lawsuits, each by a different prisoner; both lawsuits were dismissed as one disappeared after finishing his sentence and the other had submitted his lawsuit after a deadline. Graner later became known for the Abu Ghraib scandal.[5]

Facility and operations

The prison had 11 cell blocks. As of 2012 SCI Greene had 1,750 prisoners and 720 employees. The death row prisoners are in blocks G and L; they normally stay in their cells but may go to a recreational area and the library.[6] Greene was built with the newest features at the time, including central air conditioning.[5]

The prison had cable television installed at the time of its opening.[5]

Demographics

As of 2012, SCI Greene had 157 death row prisoners, about 75% of the prisoners under Pennsylvania state death sentences.[6]

As of the late 1990s, many of the prisoners came from urban areas and almost 70% were black, while whites made up over 90% of the prison guards.[5]

Notable inmates

Life imprisonment:

  • Ben Birdwell, convicted in the Freeman family murders
  • Domenic Coia, convicted in the murder of Jason Sweeney
  • Juan Covington, Philadelphia serial killer
  • Steven Hayes, one of two men who committed the infamous Cheshire, Connecticut, home invasion murders. He was sentenced to death in 2010 but re-sentenced to life in prison after Connecticut abolished the death penalty.
  • Russell Maroon Shoatz, convicted in the murder of Police sergeant Francis Von Colln. Founder of Black United Movement in Philadelphia; former member of the Black Panther Party and the Black Liberation Army
  • Carlos Angle Diaz Santiago, convicted of murdering 4 people when he pushed they're car into an oncoming train in Sinking Springs.[7]

Other imprisonment

  • Khalid Kareem (alias S Money), Pittsburgh rapper sentenced to five years in federal prison in 2014 for his role in a heroin ring[8] now at FCI Berkley
  • Jerry Sandusky

Death row:

Notable staff

See also

References
  1. America's Supermax Prisons Do Torture Retrieved 2011-01-25.
  2. "2010 CENSUS - CENSUS BLOCK MAP (INDEX): Franklin township, PA." U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved on October 26, 2018. Pages 1, 2, and 3.
  3. "SCI Greene." Pennsylvania Department of Corrections. Retrieved on May 23, 2010.
  4. Wetzel, Dan. "Jerry Sandusky's slim chance for appeal hurt by decision to send him to supermax prison." (Archive) Yahoo! News. Thursday November 1, 2012. Retrieved on August 16, 2013.
  5. Lieberman, Paul and Dan Morain. "Unveiling the Face of the Prison Scandal." Los Angeles Times. June 19, 2004. Retrieved on July 9, 2016. p. 3.
  6. Yates, Riley. "Life on Death Row." McCall. August 4, 2012. p. 1.
  7. https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2000-apr-23-mn-22600-story.html
  8. "Pittsburgh rapper Khalid Kareem sentenced for role in heroin ring". September 26, 2014.

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