Pennsylvania’s prisons, with Corrections Secretary John Wetzel

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A scene from Pike County Correctional Facility in Lords Valley, Pennsylvania. (AP file photo)

Hour 1

Pennsylvania’s Corrections Secretary JOHN WETZEL has worked in the field for 20 years, starting as a corrections officer at the Lebanon County Correctional Facility, rising through the ranks at Berks County Prison, and serving as warden of the Franklin County Jail, among other positions. Now he’s Governor Tom Corbett’s point man on corrections policy, management and reform. He recently joined a diverse coalition across the political spectrum to call for reforms including diverting more criminals to non-custodial programs and speeding up the parole process. We’ll talk to Secretary Wetzel about his career, his efforts to improve incarceration, probation, parole, treatment and diversion in Pennsylvania. And we’ll also hear from MARK BERGSTROM, executive director of the Pennsylvania Commission on Sentencing, about efforts including Governor Corbett’s Justice Reinvestment Initiative.

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[audio: 052912_100630.mp3]

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