As the third year of the second PREA audit cycle draws to a close, the audit agreement with consortium states (Maryland, Wisconsin and Michigan) is also ending. Under the consortium, certified PA DOC auditors conducted audits of facilities in Maryland and Michigan in exchange for audits conducted by Wisconsin auditors. One of the last audits to be conducted occurred this past week at Women's Huron Valley Correctional Facility (WHV). WHV opened in 2009 and is the only female prison in Michigan. The facility provides all reception center processing which includes 13 housing units for general population prisoners in level I, II, and IV, Residential Substance Abuse Treatment, Special Alternative Incarceration, Residential Treatment Program, Acute Care, Dialectical Behavior Therapy, Infirmary and Detention. The consortium agreement was in effect only for the second audit cycle, which is a three-year time period. While it was instituted as a cost savings measure, the PREA resource center has significantly changed the audit methodology and began enforcing stringent guidelines on auditors making the task of auditing more involved and a lengthier process.
Pictured from left: PREA Coordinator David Radziewicz; former Superintendent of Greene/Annuitant Lou Folino; SCI Mercer Classification and Program Manager Lisa Graves.
The primary auditors assigned to WHV included David Radziewicz, the PA DOC's PREA coordinator, and former Superintendent of Greene/Annuitant Lou Folino, who is also a DOJ-Certified PREA auditor. Assisting with staff and inmate interviews was SCI Mercer Classification and Program Manager Lisa Graves. There was a significant amount of information sharing with WHV staff, and auditors covered the 144 acreage inside the perimeter through miles of walking and in personally-assigned gators.
Standards, Audits, Assessments and Compliance Director Steve Burk recognizes those who contributed to the success of the consortium, PREA Coordinator David Radziewicz, Division Chiefs Carole Mattis and Krista Callear, Deputy Superintendent for Centralized Services Rene Adams-Kinzel, Classification and Program Managers Valerie Kusiak and Angel Baez-Sprague, Executive Assistant Grace Franks, Office of County Inspections Director Thomas Greishaw, Prison Inspector Stephen Noll, Unit Manager Traci Jacobson and former Superintendent Louis Folino.