WEST CHESTER — Howard Holland, the former police chief who took over leadership of the Chester County Prison the day before convicted murderer Danelo Cavalcante escaped from the facility in Pocopson, will soon be named the prison’s permanent warden, according to county sources.
Holland has been serving in an acting capacity since Aug. 30, replacing the former warden, Ronald M. Phillips, who resigned a month after being put on administrative leave for unspecified reasons. One day later, Cavalcante “crab-walked” up the walls of an outdoor recreation yard at the prison and fled the prison, where he was awaiting transfer to state prison to begin serving a life sentence for murder.
The former chief of Downingtown police then became one of the faces of the government’s response to the escape — appearing at press conferences to explain what happened that day and later at public question-and-answer sessions about plans to upgrade security there. Cavalcante was captured two weeks after his escape at the end of a massive police manhunt in the county.
Holland expressed interest in being appointed to the full-time position then, and put his name in the running as the county’s prison board began the process of finding a permanent successor to Phillips.
Chester County Prison Board Chairman Josh Maxwell, who also serves as chairman of the board of commissioners, announced Howard’s appointment on Wednesday and Thursday to staff at the prison. The decision, however, will not become official until later this month when the board meets in a public voting session.
“Howard has worked hard to improve staff morale, made significant investments in security, and provided personnel with critically important training,” Maxwell, who served as Downingtown mayor when Holland was chief there, said in an email Thursday. “I believe Chester County Prison is on track to be safer, better equipped, and a more modern prison in a few years. It’s going to take time. However, our entire board is committed to making the investments in the facility the public deserves.”
Maxwell said that Holland had been unanimously chosen by the board during its deliberations, in which three candidates for the position were identified and interviewed.
The process included input from an advisory panel of officials and county departments, he said.
“Two weeks ago, we held panels with 18 people, including a judge, district attorney, prison staff, county leadership, and departments, to interview applicants for warden,” Maxwell said in his message to a MediaNews Group reporter. “Afterward, those panelists were polled about their choice for warden. Soon after, the seven-person prison board was polled on their choice based on the panelists’ input. In both cases, the support was unanimous.”
The prison board is made up of all three county commissioners, as well as county Controller Margaret Reif, District Attorney Chris de Barrena-Sarobe, President Judge John Hall, and Sheriff Kevin Dykes.
I talked to all three groups of prison staff to inform them of the board’s plan yesterday and today. The official decision will be made on April 29th.
Holland left his job as Downingtown police chief in April 2023 after 25 years with the department, six as chief, and at the same time got a job as special liaison to the prison board. This was despite his resume, which shows no experience in corrections, but highlights his long history in public safety, emergency management, and law enforcement.
The appointment of a special liaison was announced to prison employees at the same time as two independent consultants were studying the prison's conditions. The prison is facing a shortage of correctional officers.
The first study was done by Greg Warren from the American Law Enforcement Training and Consulting organization in Delaware. Warren told prison workers that he was looking for any possible concerns for the current staff at the over 700-inmate facility. It seems his work was completed in 2022 or 2023, but his findings have not been made public. American Law Enforcement Training and Consulting
One prison board member felt that Maxwell's decision to inform the prison staff about Holland’s upcoming appointment was a bit early, although well-meaning.
Commissioner Eric Roe said he was not told about plans to publicly or privately announce the hiring of a permanent prison warden, and believes any announcement would be premature until the prison board votes on it.
Maxwell's announcement came after he posted about the appointment on the social media site X, previously known as Twitter. This was done despite a county spokesperson not commenting on the timeline when asked by a reporter.
Maxwell announced on Saturday that after an extensive interview process involving 18 panelists, they are ready to make the appointment at the next meeting in two weeks.
After an extensive interview process that included 18 panelists, we’re prepared to make this appointment at our next meeting in two weeks. https://t.co/CIPDfGHjUw
— Josh Maxwell (@maxwelljosh) April 13, 2024
Roe admitted that Maxwell has been working to improve communication and relationships between the Prison Board and prison staff.
Roe stated that despite his disagreement with the timing, it’s probably best that prison staff hear important information directly from the chairman of the Prison Board, as the hiring decision for a permanent warden will affect them the most.
A county official familiar with the hiring process, who preferred to remain anonymous, said they had no issues with Maxwell’s announcement.
The official said that prison staff had been worried about the time it was taking to fill the warden’s position and appreciated Maxwell's efforts to improve communication with them. They started to feel that someone cared.
The official said it wasn't very bad and they approve of Holland’s appointment. They believe any interaction with them is positive. The decision took a while and was annoying.
To get in touch with journalist Michael P. Rellahan, dial 610-696-1544.
