By James Halpin
The Citizens’ Voice
WILKES-BARRE, Pa. — The call to build a new county jail in the wake of a tragedy that left two dead at the Luzerne County Correctional Facility this week received a cool reception Wednesday from some members of Luzerne County Council who have for years discussed the need for a new detention center.
On Tuesday, the day after Correctional Officer Kristopher Moules and an inmate were killed after falling five stories down an elevator shaft during a struggle, county Manager David Pedri revived a years-long discussion about building a new jail.
Calling Moules’ actions “heroic,” Pedri suggested a new county jail be built and named in Moules’ honor.
Talks about constructing a new jail have in the past sputtered for lack of funding.
County officials have long talked about building a new correctional facility to replace the current one, which was built in 1870 and expanded with the tower in 1987. But funding has been a persistent roadblock for the county, which remained saddled with about $351 million in debt as of December 2015 and has a limited capacity for borrowing.
Several council members expressed concern about the rapidity with which Pedri announced plans for such a major project.
Councilman Stephen A. Urban said he received only “very minimal” information about the situation and that the county needed first to figure out what happened and fix it before committing to a new facility, which in the past has been estimated to cost more than $100 million.
“If there’s an issue with an elevator, does it require a new prison? I don’t know. I don’t think so,” Urban said. “Right now, I think what you need to do is focus on the real issue -- let’s get the facts and what happened, first. We don’t know that.”
Pedri on Tuesday said Moules, 25, of Larksville, and inmate Timothy D. Gilliam Jr., 27, of Wilkes-Barre, died in a “freak accident” when they crashed through the elevator doors during a scuffle Monday and plummeted to their deaths, striking the top of the elevator car that was coming up from the first floor.
The unknowns surrounding the incident are being evaluated by an outside consultant Pedri said he hired, and Luzerne County District Attorney Stefanie Salavantis’ office is conducting an ongoing criminal investigation into the matter.
Dennis W. Olson, an elevator and escalator expert with Robson Forensic in Lancaster, said such an elevator mishap is highly unusual. Elevator doors, if properly installed, are attached at the top and bottom and are generally very secure, he said.
The doors are designed to withstand normal impacts and should not come open absent “extenuating circumstances” — such as a group of men barrelling into them while fighting, he said.
“This is definitely something I would consider extenuating circumstances,” Olson said. “Elevators are designed for their foreseeable and intended use, and as we say, this is not a foreseeable and intended use of the elevator equipment.”
Still, Councilwoman Kathy Dobash said she thought the tragedy is something that should never have happened in the first place. She said she was “taken aback” by Pedri’s call for a new jail, considering the state of the county’s finances.
“I think using a tragedy to make a statement like that was just plain wrong,” Dobash said. "(Pedri) knows the financial condition of the county and our borrowing status. We don’t have the ability to borrow the money to do such a plan.”
Building a new facility, she said, will require outside funding sources, such as grants or co-funding with other counties. The county should also look at privatization as an option for getting a new jail, she said.
Under the old form of government, county commissioners in 2008 halted design work on a proposed 1,500-bed jail over cost concerns.
Pedri’s predecessor, Robert Lawton, revived the debate for a new jail in 2013, calling the current facility “inefficient” and “premodern.” But those efforts again faltered because of the county’s dismal financial state.
On Wednesday, Pedri said he understood the county’s continuing financial predicament but said constructing a new jail will be a long process and that it’s time to begin a new discussion about it.
“I think it’s important that we start the dialogue,” Pedri said. “The question is, what price will we pay if we don’t do this?”
Council Chairwoman Linda McClosky Houck said council approved infrastructure improvements requested by former corrections division head J. Allen Nesbitt — the body last year approved security camera upgrades, door replacements, control panel upgrades and other projects — because its members have taken safety at the jail seriously.
“We’ve tried to do what we can, but I think now we need to try to do more,” she said.
McClosky Houck said there is no question in her mind that the county needs a new jail to replace the current facility, which has a problematic floor plan. Every recent corrections division head has reported that the layout of the jail is not ideal for the safety of the officers or the inmates and also requires increased manpower to properly supervise the inmates, she said.
“I think that it’s a shame that it took a tragedy for it to come to the forefront, but now that it’s here, I think we need to explore every avenue to make it happen,” McClosky Houck said. “We have to put an emphasis on finding out how it can be done, whether it’s looking into grants from the state or federal government in some way. I think we have to explore every avenue to see how we can do it. We are long overdue for a new facility, and that’s been recognized by everybody.”
Gov. Tom Wolf on Wednesday ordered all commonwealth flags lowered to half staff until sunset Monday in Moules’ honor.