State Correctional Institution – Houtzdale is a 1500-bed

correctional facility In criminal justice, particularly in North America, correction, corrections, and correctional, are umbrella terms describing a variety of functions typically carried out by government agency, government agencies, and involving the punishment, ...

located outside Houtzdale in southern Clearfield County,

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regions o ...

, along

Pennsylvania Route 153 Pennsylvania Route 153 (PA 153) is a state highway located in Clearfield and Elk counties in Pennsylvania. The southern terminus is at PA 253/ PA 453 near Viola. The northern terminus is at U.S. Route 219 (US 219) near Brockport. Route de ...

Background

SCI Houtzdale was built to address overcrowding elsewhere in Pennsylvania's prison system. The facility broke ground in 1994. The facility cost $70 Million to construct and, when opened in January 1996, had a bed capacity of 1,587. As of June 2012 SCI Houtzdale is the third-largest correctional institution in the state of Pennsylvania holding upwards of 2,800 inmates.

Illegal substances

The prison has had several incidents with illegal drugs. In March 2019, a member of prison staff was found to be delivering a "large quantity" of drugs to an inmate at the facility. In 2025, a female visitor was found to have brought drugs to supply an inmate at the facility during a visitation meeting.

Staff and inmate relations

In 2012, a corrections worker pled guilty to sexual assault against an inmate at the facility. In April 2015, inmates refusing to return to their housing units started a riot that injured five members of staff. In June 2019, an officer working at the facility was seriously hurt after an assault by an inmate. In October 2019, a corrections worker was charged after she was found to be having a sexual relationship with an inmate. Inmates have described acts of cruelty by contractors working at the facility.

Inmate deaths

The facility has had a number of inmate deaths. In August 2020, inmate Garrick Bloom was strangled to death, it was later ruled a homicide. In January 2021, the facility reported their first inmate death to the COVID-19 pandemic. In May 2022, an inmate was found dead in his cell. In June 2023, Roberto Quevada was found dead in his cell after being killed by his cellmate. In February 2024, Daniel Barnett was found dead in his cell. That October, inmate Anthony Raimo was found dead in his cell. The next month, inmate Lance Heverly was found unresponsive in his cell.

Notable inmates

* Warren McGlone (alias Steady B) - Hip hop artist, convicted in the murder of

Philadelphia Police Department The Philadelphia Police Department (PPD, Philly PD, or Philly Police) is the police agency responsible for law enforcement and investigations within the County and City of Philadelphia. The PPD is one of the oldest municipal police agencies, f ...

officer Lauretha Vaird in a bank robbery. He's now in SCI Phoenix

References