Chesco Prison Upgrades Not Focused On Denying Inmates Open Air: Board

CHESTER COUNTY —Chester County Prison Board officials Wednesday said the county has no plans to deny inmates access to open air by putting a roof over all exercise yards at the county jail in Pocopson Township following the Aug. 31 escape of a convicted murderer Danilo Cavalcante.

The prison board, which consists of the county commissioners, district attorney, sheriff, and president judge, said the board is in the preliminary stages of upgrading security to prevent future escapes.

Cavalcante escaped at 8:50 a.m. Thursday, Aug. 31, by climbing horizontally up a wall to a roof. He was captured on Sept. 13 in South Coventry Township following a two-week manhunt ranging over 20 miles. The correctional officer who was manning the watchtower has been fired.

The Pennsylvania Prison Society, an advocacy nonprofit group, issued a statement Friday, Sept. 28, accusing the prison board of planning to deny inmates access to open air when upgrading security.

“Unfortunately, in their rush to reassure the community, county officials are pursuing expensive, misguided solutions that will degrade the physical and mental health of incarcerated people,” the statement said. "Eliminating outdoor exercise is not a way to stop prison escapes."

The prison society also said in a statement getting rid of outdoor exercise harms incarcerated people, but fails to address the shortage of correctional officers throughout Pennsylvania.

On Wednesday morning, the prison board countered in a prepared statement for Patch: “We have been trying to work with them to set up a meeting date and look forward to meeting with them as soon as they’re available.

“It has always been the county’s intent to consider all needs as this project moves forward, and will welcome their input."

The next prison board meeting is scheduled at 2:30 p.m. at 313 West Market St., West Chester. The public is invited to attend.

Design upgrades at exercise yards

At a meeting on Sept. 20, the prison board awarded a $94,000 contract to TransSystems, LLC, Ebensburg, Cambria County, to provide preliminary design upgrades to the exercise yards.

“The Chester County Prison Board’s approval of initial designs for the exercise yards is just the first step in the process,” the board said in the statement.

“But even before the presentation of permanent design options for the prison exercise yards was made by TranSystems last week, the prison board had proactively reached out to leaders at the Pennsylvania Prison Society, asking them to be part of the review process.

"We have always taken the mental health and well-being of inmates seriously, and that remains a factor in everything that must be considered when running a secure prison.”

The prison board also approved purchasing 50 to 75 cameras to place around the prison perimeter and eight new security camera operators to monitor the cameras. The board also agreed to provide training for the officers.

Cavalcante was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison on Aug. 16 for the April 2021 fatal stabbing of his ex-girlfriend Deborah Brandao, 33, in Schuylkill Township. Cavalcante was also wanted in Brazil for a 2017 killing.

Cavalcante is in the state Correctional Institute at Phoenix, Skippack Township, Montgomery County, where he is serving a life sentence for the April 2021 fatal stabbing of his ex-girlfriend,

Deborah Brandao, 33, in front of her young children in Schuylkill Township. A preliminary hearing on escape charges has not yet been scheduled.