Delaware County prison warden resigns after just months on the job

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Willie Bonds has tendered his resignation as warden of the George W. Hill Correctional Facility in Delaware County after less than six months running the prison.

“The resignation was submitted due to a personal family matter and an opportunity to pursue other career interests,” said Michael Connolly, communications director of Delaware County, in a written statement.

The Delaware County Jail Oversight Board named Bonds the warden in February. He took over for interim warden David Mascollino, who spent five months on the job.

Mascollino had stepped in following the resignation of warden Laura Williams in August 2025. Bonds will remain in his current role until the county implements a succession plan.

“While the County was looking forward to his continued good service, County leadership respects his personal decision and is immensely grateful for his work on behalf of our residents, the incarcerated population, and the dedicated staff of George W. Hill,” Connolly said.

The county will name an interim warden and work with the prison’s leadership to identify a permanent replacement, Connolly said.

“As this process moves ahead, Delaware County remains committed to continuing its efforts to build George W. Hill into a facility that every resident can be proud of and continuing the major investments and upgrades to the facility already well under way,” he said.

Years after Delco took over prison, concerns remain

The prison, located in Thornton, is the primary place of incarceration for pre-trial and sentenced individuals in Delaware County. Prior to 2022, the prison was Pennsylvania’s only privately managed county prison. Delaware County took back control of the facility from for-profit operator GEO Group.

The Pennsylvania Prison Society, which monitors prisons across the state, visited the facility in November 2025 and January 2026 and conducted interviews with incarcerated people. Although the Pennsylvania Prison Society noted some areas of improvement, specifically to physical infrastructure, the organization reported that incarcerated individuals faced a lack of out-of-cell time, insufficient food and persistent violence from staff and other inmates.

The Pennsylvania Prison Society issued a report to Bonds in February.

“Moving forward, we anticipate continuing our shared interest in strengthening the values of this agency,” Bonds wrote at the time in response to the report. “We remain committed to providing a safe, secure, and humane environment for staff, visitors, and incarcerated people, while offering evidence-based, innovative programming aimed at reducing recidivism.”