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State Correctional Institution – Greene

Coordinates: 39°54′22″N 80°08′14″W / 39.9060°N 80.1371°W / 39.9060; -80.1371
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
State Correctional Institution – Greene
Map
LocationFranklin Township, Greene County, Pennsylvania
StatusOpen
Security classSupermax
Capacity1,853
Population1,569 (85.7%) (as of October 31, 2023)
OpenedNovember 9, 1993 (1993-11-09)
Managed byPennsylvania Department of Corrections
GovernorJosh Shapiro
WardenMichael Zaken
WebsiteSCI Greene
Notable prisoners
Mumia Abu-Jamal, Jimmy Dennis, Jerry Sandusky

The 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 previously housed most of Pennsylvania's capital case inmates.[3]

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

History

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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]

At some point all of the death penalty prisoners at Greene were moved to SCI Phoenix.[7]

Facility and operations

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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

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

Notable inmates

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Life imprisonment:

Other imprisonment

Death row:

Notable staff

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See also

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References

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  1. ^ America's Supermax Prisons Do Torture Retrieved 2011-01-25.
  2. ^ "2020 CENSUS - CENSUS BLOCK MAP: Franklin township, PA" (PDF). U.S. Census Bureau. p. 2 (PDF p. 3/6). Retrieved 2022-08-01. State Correctional Institution Greene - 2010 Map Index and pages 1, 2, and 3.
  3. ^ a b c "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. ^ a b c d e 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. ^ a b c Yates, Riley. "Life on Death Row." McCall. August 4, 2012. p. 1.
  7. ^ Hurst, David (2024-03-02). "DOC: Some Pa. death row inmates now housed at SCI-Somerset". The Tribune-Democrat. Retrieved 2024-07-18.
  8. ^ a b c "Inmate/Parolee Locator".
  9. ^ "COMMONWEALTH OF PENNSYLVANIA v. RAGHUNANDAN YANDAMURI (2017)". FindLaw. Retrieved 6 April 2024.
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39°54′22″N 80°08′14″W / 39.9060°N 80.1371°W / 39.9060; -80.1371