CHAMBERSBURG, PA.-When he was interviewed for the Franklin County warden's job five years ago, John Wetzel was told by county officials that the jail was overcrowded, there were major security issues, and relations with the union representing corrections officers were strained.
"You paint a pleasant picture," he remembered saying.
Wetzel, who had risen through the ranks to become director of training at Berks County Prison, said he was surprised when offered the job. Then 32, he was one of the youngest wardens ever in Pennsylvania.
While he found the staff professional and discovered that "they embraced change," the prison complex left much to be desired, with aging works and an out-of-date design.
"It looks like a fixer-upper," Wetzel said then of the main prison, which opened in 1973. The complex also has a work release annex, which opened in 1993.