Amid a year’s worth of controversy in which inmates were prematurely released, questions were raised about the treatment of prisoners and allegations of staff improprieties, Westmoreland County officials on Thursday announced the prison received an award for its efficiencies. County commissioners held a brief ceremony yesterday to acknowledge a recent state inspection that found the facility was 100 percent compliant during an in-depth review of operations conducted at the end of October. “The prison’s 100 percent compliance validates the programs, policies and procedures we’ve enacted to keep operations running efficiently and effectively,” said Commissioner Tom Ceraso, who also serves as chairman of the county’s prison board. The annual inspection was conducted Oct. 24-26 by the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections and examined 25 aspects of jail operations including admissions, personnel, rules and regulations, housing, food services and internal investigations. Tom Schlager, an official with the Department of Corrections, was in Greensburg yesterday to formally award commissioners with a certification of compliance for their inspection results. Schlager said the county’s prison was one of 16 in the state that earned the highest possible inspection score. “You folks have done an outstanding job getting your integrity back,” Schlager said. It’s been a rough year at the county prison. A lieutenant was forced to resign after allegations surfaced of an improper relationship with a female inmate. Another guard resigned after he refused to end a relationship with a former female inmate. Several corrections officers were investigated for abusing sick leave by calling off so they could attend a golf outing held by another guard. Last summer, a mentally ill inmate was injured after being subdued by four guards. And in at least three cases, clerical errors resulted in inmates being prematurely released from the jail. Commissioners said the inspection results confirmed that the year’s problems are a thing of the past. “Due to the experience and capabilities of our prison officials, I would expect nothing less than 100 percent, ” said Commissioner Phil Light.

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