Western Pa. prison unit helping prisoners with developmental disabilities stay safe behind bars
A prison in Western Pennsylvania is helping men with autism and other intellectual disabilities stay safe behind bars while learning life skills.
PHOTOS: Western Pa. prison unit helping prisoners with developmental disabilities stay safe behind bars
Pennsylvania’s State Correctional Institution at Albion in Erie County launched a Neurodevelopmental Residential Treatment Unit three years ago, the first in the state and one of a handful nationwide, the Associated Press reports. It provides accommodations to help prisoners who struggle with overstimulation and physical coping needs.
A handful of “sensory” rooms in the unit offer calming blue walls where harsh fluorescent lighting is dimmed by special covers. There’s also an exercise yard not accessible by the prison’s general population, and prisoners stay in the unit to receive their medication and see specialized treatment staff. They can check out puzzles, yoga mats or drawing supplies to help them cope in overwhelming moments.
In a regular prison setting, many of these prisoners with autism and similar disabilities “would normally have kind of gotten through their incarceration just quietly,” said Steven Soliwoda, the unit’s creator and program manager at Albion. “Maybe they would have been a recluse or spent a lot of time in their cell. But their voices are heard in the program and they develop that independence and the social skills they need to survive when they get out of here.”
The unit houses about 45 men — a small population that helps staff focus on individual treatment and limits some of the sensory stimulation of prison, Soliwoda said. It requires corrections officers to undergo regular training on de-escalation and crisis intervention to maintain a secure environment while offering accommodations.
The Associated Press reports that the unit at Albion uses so-called transitional cells as an intervention when they see certain behaviors. The stripped-down cells, equipped with safety features, are a place where the prisoners can go to regain control over their emotions while they work on completing goals set by the psychiatric staff before they are allowed to return to the rest of the unit.
Soliwoda said he hopes to bring more programming to the unit as it continues to evolve. For now, though, corrections department officials don’t have plans to expand the model to other prisons, the Associated Press reports.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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