Guards hired to ease staff crunch at Westmoreland County Prison

Westmoreland County’s Prison Board on Monday approved the hiring of 13 corrections officers who, officials said, will ease a staffing crunch that has impacted the operations at the lockup in Hempfield.

“This helps our staffing tremendously,” interim Warden Steve Pelesky said. “Once these folks start, we’ll have just 14 or 15 vacancies. This means less forced overtime and that people are going to get home after their shift. This will improve morale.”

Staffing at the jail has been an issue for more than a year. To account for the depleted workforce, guards have been required to work overtime, with some shifts as long as 16 hours a day.

Pelesky said, at full staff, the prison has about 160 corrections officers. Prior to Monday’s hirings, the facility averaged about 30 vacant positions over the past year. The jail had 511 inmates on Monday and averaged about the same population through much of 2023.

Scott Kennedy, president of the United Mine Workers of America Local 522, which represents guards at the jail, praised the hirings.

“Our staff needs to get back to working a normal work week. This is definitely a good thing,” Kennedy said.

County Commissioner Doug Chew, who is chairman of the prison board, said he expects more guards to be hired in the coming months.

“We’re hoping to have a full complement (of guards) soon,” Chew said.