The Pennsylvania prison where convicted murderer Danelo Cavalcante recently escaped from plans to spend up to $3.5 million on security improvements and to enclose its exercise yards in an effort to prevent future breakouts.
The Chester County Prison Board unanimously approved several security upgrades including plans to fully enclose eight exercise yards with walls and a roof at the facility, just southwest of Philadelphia. The project is expected to cost $2.5 million to $3.5 million and could take up to nine months to complete.
Among the other improvements proposed were additional installations of 50 to 75 security cameras, hiring more staff members to monitor the cameras and plans to change inmate uniforms to easily spot escape attempts. At the time of his escape, Cavalcante was wearing a white shirt, dark pants and white shoes.
Immediate short term measures were also suggested, including closing off the area above yard entrance doors and adding staff to directly supervise the yards. Funding for the improvements will come from the county’s remaining federal pandemic relief allotment.
The proposals follow community outrage after two inmates escaped from the prison over a three-month time span. On Aug. 31, Cavalcante used his hands and feet to “crab-walk” up a wall before climbing through razor wire to escape.
TranSystems, a Missouri-based engineering and design company hired for the redesign, said the enclosures for the yards will be a “permanent solution” to the security flaws that Cavalcante was able to exploit during his escape.
The company shared their observations of the conditions of the facility, noting that the layout was a security risk and was not sufficient enough to prevent escapes. TranSystems said the prison lacks roofs and walls for its yards, and depended on guard towers and perimeter fences — which should be used as a “last means” of security. The company added that yards had climbable features and hidden corners.
The redesign plan calls for 18-foot-high masonry walls to replace the fencing around the yards, and the removal of shed roofs that inmates could scale. The design will also block overhead sunlight into the yard and an LED lighting system will be implemented to mimic daylight. According to TranSystems, the redesign will prevent any potential escapes and intercept contraband delivery by drones or other remote devices.
