The Pennsylvania Department of Corrections has jurisdiction over the penal system of Pennsylvania at the state level. The PA Department of Corrections does not have jurisdiction over the individual county jails throughout Pennsylvania, however. The PA Department of Corrections is currently headed by Shirley Moore Smeal, who is the acting Corrections Secretary in Pennsylvania. The PA Department of Corrections oversees 26 different correctional institutions, along with a number of other facilities, such as a motivational boot camp, a training academy, 40 contract facilities, and 14 community corrections centers.
The motivational boot camp of the PA Department of Corrections is a facility which is designed to utilize a military-style of training in order to assist inmates to change their behaviors and personalities drastically. The program was designed by the PA Department of Corrections to allow for the release of inmates after they complete a six-month course at the boot camp. The PA Department of Corrections employs 16000 individuals, and within the system of the PA Department of Corrections are more than 51000 individuals. The PA Department of Corrections also does not have power over the awarding of parole, as such power is granted to the Pennsylvania Board of Probation and Parole.
The PA Department of Corrections uses its community center facilities in order to assist inmates with their re-entry into society. In many instances, the PA Department of Corrections is able to create a partnership with a particular business or organization within the community, such that they might collaborate to better help inmates re-enter society. Contact Pennsylvania lawyers for legal advice and assistance.
