Feb 22, 2024 By Mark Hofmann 4 min read

For the 157 inmates lodged in the Fayette County Prison, Wednesday was moving day, as law enforcement officials oversaw their transfer to the county’s new jail.

Prison Warden John Lenkey said the way the move went was “outstanding.”

“It was completely uneventful, the way you want it to be uneventful,” said the jail’s Deputy Warden of Treatment Angela Kern. “It was the best case scenario all around.”

Although uneventful, the logistics and safety precautions put in place for the move started chatter on social media with users asking about a helicopter in the sky and a large police presence on the streets of Uniontown.

“It was not advertised because of safety and security to consider, but a lot of people saw the activity,” said county Sheriff Jim Custer.

Lenkey said the state Department of Corrections (DOC) set the date for the move. The agency provided about 40 special emergency response team members from multiple institutions as well as two 40-passenger buses specially equipped to transport inmates, and the Pennsylvania State Police provided a helicopter.

Commissioner Scott Dunn said the state did not charge the county for the manpower and equipment for the move.

“They were more than happy to help,” Dunn said.

In addition to state police, Uniontown police and the sheriff’s office also assisted with the transfer.

Custer said those involved met with the DOC on Tuesday to go over the plan for the move, which took place at 7:30 a.m. Wednesday when buses parked near the courthouse on Main Street were loaded with inmates walking up from the prison.

With a Uniontown police vehicle escorting, one bus at a time drove along Main Street through the city, turned left on Route 21 and to the new jail. State police and sheriff deputies blocked intersections along the route for an uninterrupted mile-long trek to the new facility.

Custer said it took five bus trips to move all the inmates with the final bus unloading its passengers around 11:30 a.m..

“It was outstanding for a move and all logistics involved,” Custer said. “We couldn’t ask for anything better.”

County law enforcement and county commissioners were grateful for the teamwork involved in the transfer.

“We were very fortunate to have them,” Lenkey said of the state DOC and police. “It took them four hours to do what would have taken us four days because we don’t have access to a 40-passenger bus.”

“There was a lot of coordination with this event today,” Dunn said. “We took this seriously as a potential security threat.”

Dunn said it’s a monumental day in Fayette County with the century-old old prison having outlived its use. In the past few years, the aging prison was the target of several lawsuits claiming the conditions were inhumane.

Dunn added that the new $44 million facility will provide a safe location for not only the inmates, but will give the prison staff and employees a better place to work.

“I’m glad we reached this point in time,” said Commissioner Vince Vicites. “The transition’s been made, they’re in, now they’re going to be on a day-to-day basis where things will need tweaked and corrected.”

Kern said, with the new facility and new operations at the jail, officials expect there will be an adjustment period.

Vicites said building a new prison in any county is difficult, given the cost and regulations involved.

“When we did have setbacks, we corrected them and moved forward,” he said, adding that the project came in under budget. “I think this facility will serve the people of Fayette County for many many decades to come.”

Commissioner Dave Lohr said Wednesday that he campaigned on the need to build a new prison three times while running for office.

“It was needed for a long, long time, and now it’s off and running, and it feels good. It’s good for all the staff and the prisoners,” Lohr said.

“Hopefully the prisoners that go in will come out better,” Lohr said.

The now former Fayette County Prison was the fourth prison built in the county and was originally constructed in 1892, making the building 132 years old.

The new facility has the capacity to hold 333 inmates, and has the capacity to provide space for treatment and rehabilitation-focused programming.

“Individuals are placed in jail for punishment, not to be punished,” Lenkey said. “This new jail has the capacity to provide services and tools that will afford the inmates an opportunity to leave here a better person from which they arrived.”