SOMERSET, Pa. — After a Department of Corrections shakeup announced this week, Superintendent Melissa Hainsworth will no longer run SCI Somerset, a state prison that has seen a string of violent and drug-related incidents over the past year, including the killing of a corrections officer, the killing of an inmate, the arrest of an alleged drug-smuggling officer and multiple attacks attacks on staff members.
Hainsworth, who was promoted to superintendent at Somerset last year, will move up the highway to SCI Laurel Highlands, a prison known for its medical and elderly wards that was also featured in a 6 News story about rehabilitation earlier this year.
Jamey Luther, the Laurel Highlands superintendent, will move to SCI Smithfield, in Huntingdon County. She replaces Eric Tice, who is taking Hainsworth's job.
In an announcement first obtained Thursday by 6 News, Secretary of Corrections John Wetzel said the changes had to do with the long-term impact of the killing of Sgt. Mark Baserman, who was allegedly beaten to death by an inmate in February.
“What we’ve learned from previous major incidents is that a facility doesn’t really begin to fully heal until there is a change in leadership,” Wetzel said. “We have complete faith in these leaders and are making these moves in order to allow SCI Somerset to continue the healing process.”
Wetzel said he "commended Hainsworth as the primary force behind the stabilization of SCI Somerset following the tragedy," and that she is a "strong superintendent" who will "serve SCI Laurel Highlands well."
Tice began his career with the Department of Corrections in 1993 as a corrections officer before being promoted to captain in 1996. He was later named superintendent at SCI Huntingdon in 2016 and then superintendent at Smithfield a year later.
Wetzel said he believes Tice's background in security will help the "healing process" at Somerset.
Luther will continue to work as a supervising superintendent as she transitions into a new role at Smithfield. Luther began her career in 1996 as a drug and alcohol treatment specialist before working up the ranks to superintendent in 2014.
The staffing changes take effect Monday.
State Sen. Pat Stefano, whose district includes both Laurel Highlands and Somerset, told 6 News Thursday that he hopes this change will mean that "our corrections officers can be given the tools necessary to do their job in a safe and effective manner."
"This cannot be just a cosmetic change, but part of a systematic change in how we manage our corrections institutions," Stefano added in a statement.
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