State Correctional Institution – Phoenix Explained

Prison Name:State Correctional Institution – Phoenix
Pushpin Map:USA Pennsylvania#USA
Pushpin Relief:1
Pushpin Map Caption:Location in Pennsylvania##Location in the United States
Coordinates:40.23°N -75.42°W
Location:Skippack Township, Pennsylvania
Street-Address:1200 Mokychic Road
City:Skippack Township
County:Montgomery
State:Pennsylvania
Zip:19426
Status:Operational
Classification:Maximum
Capacity:3,830
Managed By:Pennsylvania Department of Corrections

The State Correctional Institution – Phoenix is a state prison in Skippack Township, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania,[1] with a Collegeville postal address,[2] in the Philadelphia metropolitan area. Operated by Pennsylvania Department of Corrections, it was named after the phoenix bird.[3]

It cost $400 million to build, making it the most expensive state prison to be constructed in Pennsylvania history.[4] [5] It has a capacity of 3,830 prisoners,[6] and as of September 2018, its full time workforce numbered 1,200.[7] Heery International designed the facility.[8] It replaced SCI Graterford.[9] Most prisoners are male, located in the East and West sub units,[3] while it has a re-entry unit for female prisoners with a capacity of 192.[7]

The female unit is not in the main prison perimeter.[3] SCI Phoenix is one of two prisons that share Pennsylvania's death row.[10] The Pennsylvania Department of Corrections anticipated that most of the prisoners would be from the area of Philadelphia, and currently SCI Phoenix is the state prison closest to Philadelphia.[11]

History

The SCI Phoenix buildings were built on the SCI Graterford land area, and the Phoenix and Graterford buildings are about apart, with SCI Phoenix fencing beginning about 1,100 feet east of SCI Graterford's fencing.[12] [13]

The first bidding for construction of this prison occurred in the decade of the 2000s. The prison, originally to open in November 2014, opened late since Walsh Heery Joint Venture, the construction company, and Hill International, a Philadelphia company representing the State of Pennsylvania, had a dispute over whether the prison was ready to open., the prison's final cost was still not finalized.[14]

On June 1, 2018, its dedication ceremony was held, and the prison began operations on July 9, 2018.[2] The state began moving Graterford prisoners there on July 11, 2018, and Graterford ended operations on July 15.[15] Graterford's employees now were employees of Phoenix.[5] Some inmates disliked the move as they feared they would be sharing cells with other inmates, while at Graterford they had single cells.[16]

The population of Graterford was to reduce to 2,588 inmates by June 2018,[17] so that the transfer of inmates to Phoenix would not involve as many people, and Phoenix eventually opened, with 2,633 prisoners. Initially, prisoners with life sentences who had single cells at Graterford would continue to have single cells at Phoenix.[14]

At some point all of the death penalty prisoners at SCI Greene were moved to SCI Phoenix. In 2024 the state began moving some death row prisoners to SCI Somerset.[18]

Composition

Many prisoners are two to a cell, and most cells have the dimensions by .[19] Phoenix has 3,422 beds.[8]

It has inmates convicted of capital murder, many from the Philadelphia area and most of whom were sentenced to life imprisonment but with some under death sentences, housed in a dedicated section of the prison, called the "Capital Unit." That section is larger than the previous capital case section that was in Graterford.

The PADOC stated that the prison hoped to move inmates with death sentences from SCI Greene, where most death row and capital murder inmates in Pennsylvania reside, to SCI Phoenix so that the prison system can more easily transport them to court proceedings.[11]

Notable inmates

width=13%Inmate Namewidth=10%Register Numberwidth=28%Statuswidth=35%Details
George Emil BanksAY6066Originally sentenced to death, sentence commuted to life in prison on May 12, 2010 after he was declared incompetent to be executed.[20] [21] Perpetrator of the 1982 Wilkes-Barre shootings in which he murdered 13 people, including 5 of his own children.[22] [23] [24] [25]
Cosmo DiNardoNK0995Serving 4 life sentences without parole.[26] One of the perpetrators of the July 2017 Pennsylvania murders in which DiNardo and another person, Sean Michael Kratz, killed 4 individuals during deals involving marijuana.[27] [28] [29] [30]
Anthony JoynerAY5659Serving a life sentence.Raped and murdered at least 6 women at a nursing home in the 1980s.[31] [32] [33]
Ronald TaylorEX2412Sentenced to death.[34] [35] Perpetrator of the 2000 Wilkinsburg shooting.[36] [37]

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: 2020 CENSUS - CENSUS BLOCK MAP: Skippack township, PA. U.S. Census Bureau. 2022-08-01. State Correctional Institution Graterford. (the name Graterford is indicated instead of Phoenix)
    Zoning Map. Skippack Township, Pennsylvania. Retrieved on September 26, 2018. "Pennsylvania State Correctional Facility Graterford Prison"
  2. "SCI Phoenix." Pennsylvania Department of Corrections. Retrieved on September 26, 2018. "Facility Address: 1200 Mokychic Drive Collegeville, PA 19426"
  3. Web site: Dennis, Marian . Officials cut ribbon to Graterford prison replacement — SCI Phoenix . . 2018-06-01 . 2018-09-26.
  4. Web site: Melamed, Samantha . Pennsylvania's newest, most expensive prison is finally ready - and inmates are dreading it . . 17 May 2018 . 2018-09-26.
  5. News: DeStefano . Joseph . Pennsylvania's new prison is as big as the Comcast Center . 18 April 2016 . . 18 April 2016.
  6. Web site: Pradelli, Chad . Bill Cosby heads to prison at SCI Phoenix . . 2018-09-25 . 2018-09-26.
  7. Web site: Croft, Jay . This is the prison where Cosby will serve: brand new, state of the art -- and maximum security . . 2018-09-25 . 2018-09-26.
  8. Web site: Dennis, Marian . Graterford prison replacement, SCI Phoenix, is 'state-of-the-art' facility . Pottsville Mercury . 2017-11-24 . 2018-09-26.
  9. Web site: First look at replacement for aging Graterford prison . . 2018-06-04 . 2018-09-26.
  10. "Persons Sentenced to Execution in Pennsylvania as of August 1, 2018." Pennsylvania Department of Corrections. Retrieved on September 26, 2018.
  11. Web site: Lattanzio, Vince . Philadelphia Is Not Building a $400M Prison . WCAU (NBC 10) . 2013-06-20 . 2018-09-30. - See the diagram which indicates the "capital unit"
  12. "State Prisons." Pennsylvania Department of Corrections. Retrieved on September 27, 2018.
  13. https://www.google.com/maps/place/SCI+Graterford/@40.2317192,-75.4289864,1558m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m8!1m2!2m1!1ssci+graterford+pa!3m4!1s0x0:0xe02e0f10d03469aa!8m2!3d40.235091!4d-75.428921 Map link
  14. Web site: DiStefano, Joseph . Phoenix prison is finished, but not full, or fully paid for . . 2018-07-19 . 2018-09-27.
  15. "Moving from Graterford to Phoenix." Pennsylvania Department of Corrections. Retrieved on September 26, 2018.
  16. Web site: Moselle, Aaron . As Graterford inmates move to new prison, prospect of sharing cells worries some . . 2018-05-21 . 2018-09-26.
  17. Web site: Allyn, Bobby . June opening expected for Graterford replacement prison in Montgomery County . . 2018-03-23 . 2020-01-28.
  18. Web site: Hurst. David. DOC: Some Pa. death row inmates now housed at SCI-Somerset. The Tribune-Democrat. 2024-03-02. 2024-07-18.
  19. Web site: Allyn, Bobby . With Bill Cosby in prison, what's next? . . 2018-09-26 . 2018-09-30.
  20. Web site: Inmate/Parolee Locator.
  21. Web site: Michael R. Sisak (Staff Writer) . Judge: Banks incompetent, can't be executed . 12 May 2010 . The Times-Tribune . 2010-05-14.
  22. News: Robbins . William . Times . Special To the New York . 1982-09-26 . GUNMAN KILLS 13 IN A PENNSYLVANIA RAMPAGE . 2024-01-24 . The New York Times . en-US . 0362-4331.
  23. News: Collins . Jim . 1982-09-26 . Prison Guard Kills 13 People In Pennsylvania . 2024-01-24 . Washington Post . en-US . 0190-8286.
  24. Web site: George Banks was suffering from a 'severe and rare'... - UPI Archives . 2024-01-24 . UPI . en.
  25. Web site: George Banks was sentenced Wednesday to die in the... - UPI Archives . 2024-01-24 . UPI . en.
  26. Web site: Croffie . Eric Levenson,Kwegyirba . 2018-05-16 . Pennsylvania man who killed and buried four men is sentenced to life in prison . 2024-01-24 . CNN . en.
  27. Web site: Stanglin . Doug . 2 cousins charged in gruesome killings of 4 Pennsylvania men . 2024-01-24 . USA TODAY . en-US.
  28. Web site: 2018-05-16 . Sean Kratz Rejects Plea Deal, Cosmo DiNardo Pleads Guilty To Murder Charges In Deaths Of 4 Men - CBS Philadelphia . 2024-01-24 . www.cbsnews.com . en-US.
  29. Web site: 2017-07-13 . Cosmo DiNardo confesses to killing four missing men in Pennsylvania, lawyer says . 2024-01-24 . NBC News . en.
  30. Web site: Pennsylvania Man Confesses To Killing 4 Missing Men Found In Common Grave . .
  31. Web site: Six elderly women were sexually assaulted and murdered in... - UPI Archives .
  32. News: Nursing Home Deaths Laid to an Employee . The New York Times . 3 August 1983 .
  33. Web site: Anthony Joyner, convicted of raping and killing six elderly... - UPI Archives .
  34. Web site: Archives . L. A. Times . 2001-11-12 . Man Sentenced to Death in Shooting Rampage . 2024-01-24 . Los Angeles Times . en-US.
  35. News: Associated Press . 2001-11-12 . Pittsburgh Jury Sentences Man To Death in Racial Killing of 3 . 2024-01-24 . The New York Times . en-US . 0362-4331.
  36. News: Longman . Jere . 2000-03-02 . Gunman Surrenders After Killing 2 in Restaurants in Pittsburgh Suburb . 2024-01-24 . The New York Times . en-US . 0362-4331.
  37. Web site: staff . CBSNews com staff CBSNews com . 2000-03-01 . Hate Crime Charges In Pa. Shooting - CBS News . 2024-01-24 . www.cbsnews.com . en-US.
  38. News: Bowley . Graham . 2021-06-30 . Bill Cosby Freed as Court Overturns His Sex Assault Conviction . en-US . The New York Times . 2021-06-30 . 0362-4331.
  39. Web site: Connecticut Supreme Court Overturns Death Penalty in State. Pete Williams. NBC News. 13 August 2015 . August 13, 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20150813204552/https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/connecticuts-top-court-overturns-death-penalty-state-n409256. August 13, 2015. live.
  40. News: Connecticut Supreme Court says the death penalty is unconstitutional and bans executions for inmates on death row. Mark Berman. August 13, 2015. Washington Post. August 16, 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20150815202142/http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-nation/wp/2015/08/13/connecticut-supreme-court-says-the-death-penalty-is-unconstitutional-banning-it-for-remaining-inmates-on-death-row/. August 15, 2015. live.
  41. Web site: Inmate Details.
  42. Web site: Eligible for parole after 64 years in prison, world's oldest juvenile lifer deserves no more breaks, Pa. Court says. 28 March 2019.
  43. Web site: COMMONWEALTH OF PENNSYLVANIA v. RAGHUNANDAN YANDAMURI (2017). FindLaw. 6 April 2024.

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