In rural Schuylkill County in East-Central Pennsylvania there are two state prison. The prison at Frackville is a mere 4 miles from the one at, or closer to, Mahanoy. It would seem that the staffs for the two prisons are drawn from the same pool of citizen. Why, then, are the guards at Mahanoy so very much better than those at Frackville? I blame management. Frackville is by far the worst managed prison I've even been in; callous, arrogant, incompetent, inept bullies, even thugs. Because of a heart attack and related serious medical problems I was briefly sent from the Frackville state prison to nearby Mahanoy. Along with its very many other shortcomings, Frackville has no hospital. Mahanoy which is about twice as large as Frackville has what appears to be a fairly large, well staffed and well equipped infirmary. I was astonished and impressed. Mahanoy is clean, the floors were tiled. The nurses may have been a tad panicky, but the staff was generally professional, even polite and respectful. In my years enduring Frackville I've found a total of 2 guards who could be called respectful, maybe 4 or 5 who are polite and maybe a dozen who could be classified as professional. The vast majority of the Frackville prison guards are far worse than the prisoners. I wouldn't have any of them working for me, that's for sure. A certain percentage are truly evil people. Most of the guards that I met at Mahanoy were very different. They were even smiling or at least, not grimacing with negative misery. My wife commented on the difference right away, what a difference! No prison can be called "good." Such a superlative simply cannot be applied to anything as inanely inhumane, but, in relative terms, Mahanoy is a whole hell of a lot better than Frackville. The difference may not last very long. A nasty jerk who was once a deputy warden at Frackville is now top dog at Mahanoy. I regret to say that his personality will likely trickle-down and pollute the staff. That's what I think is the main problem at the Frackville prison, the men at the top are and have adversely affected their subordinates. A fart at the top, wafts downward. I blame management. Frackville is by far the worst managed prison I've even been in; callous, arrogant, incompetent, inept bullies, even thugs. Rebecca's Bargain Antiques Collectible Vintage Photos Fine Prints - Old Maps Sheet Music - Old Books Elegant Antiques and Collectibles "There are no whole truths. All truths are half-truths," Alfred North Whitehead, 1954 You are welcome to use or re-publish any of our material. Please give www.prisoners.com credit as the source. Return to the New and Interesting Items Menu Return to the Glimpse of Prison Life Menu Return to the Frackville Prison Menu Return to the Main Menu Use our site's Google Search Feature Send us Your Comments, Questions or Stories