Danelo Cavalcante Under Constant Watch At 'Specialized Unit' In SCI Phoenix

EASTERN PA — Officials are taking no chances with convicted murderer Danelo Cavalcante after he broke out of Chester County Prison and eluded a massive law enforcement manhunt for nearly two weeks.

Cavalcante was booked Wednesday afternoon at SCI Phoenix in Eagleville in a maximum security wing, the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections said. Authorities described his holding area as a "specialized observation unit."

See full coverage of Danelo Cavalcante’s escape and capture.

While details of what Cavalcante's day to day look like are unclear, what's sure is that he'll have less freedom than he did as an inmate in Chester County's system. Inmates in specialized observation units are under the close watch of prison officials around the clock.

He's been assigned inmate number QP8931 at SCI Phoenix.

The $400 million prison is the most expensive prison in the state and among the most expensive Pennsylvania state facilities of any kind. It housed Bill Cosby while he served years of his sentence for sexual abuse, before it was eventually overthrown.

More applicable to Cavalcante's situation, the new facility has vastly expanded program space and 21st century security features, both of which are notable improvements on Graterford, which it replaced and which was built in 1929.

The new 3,422-bed prison is broken into two major units, SCI Phoenix East and SCI Phoenix West. Both are male facilities.

The facilities contains seven housing buildings, which each contain 144 cells and 282 beds, according to Heery International, the Atlanta-based firm which designed the prison. There are three additional buildings that have 96 beds.

The complex as a whole is one million square feet. Heery said SCI Phoenix represented the largest contract they ever received.

Cavalcante will have a preliminary hearing on new charges on Sept. 27.