Published: July 18, 2008 11:22 pm            

Cambria’s prison aces inspection

EBENSBURG — The 11-year-old Cambria County Prison passed its most recent state inspection with flying colors, officials said Friday.

“It’s 100 percent in compliance with state Department of Corrections regulations,” President Commissioner P.J. Stevens said.

It’s the second consecutive report in which the facility receive a 100, Warden John Prebish said.

That last time was in 2006, and Prebish said there was an automatic “bye” from an inspection last year. Instead of doing another annual inspection next year, state inspectors won’t return until 2010.

The most recent inspection was July 8-10.

The inspector “was extremely impressed with staff professionalism and the hygiene of the facility,” Prebish said. “He said it was one of the cleanest he had been in.”

Floors throughout the facility are waxed and buffed regularly and guards check to make sure inmates are making their beds and keeping cells in order, he said.

The prison, which was opened in the spring of 1997, was built for 362 inmates. But with double-bunking and setting up beds in unused areas, the capacity can be stretched an additional 100.

The state said that Cambria’s prison was the 18th county facility to earn the 100 compliance in the 2008 prison inspection cycle. The only other one in the area is Clearfield County.

A staff appreciation day – with pizza and subs for the employees – was held Thursday at the prison.

        

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