What is the Quehanna Boot Camp?
PA State Representative Dallas Kephart was among those speaking at a rally in Harrisburg on April 1, protesting the proposed closure of the Quehanna Boot Camp in Karthaus and SCI Rockview. Other speakers were Senator Wayne Langerholic and Rep. Scott Conklin. A listening session to discuss the boot camp closing is being held Thursday, April 10, at 5:00 p.m. at Community Alliance Church in Karthaus. Another session to discuss SCI Rockview is scheduled for Tuesday, April 15 at 5:00 p.m. at the Bald Eagle High School. (Photo from Dallas Kephart Facebook page)
By Julie Rae Rickard
KARTHAUS – In February, Governor Josh Shapiro announced plans to close the Quehanna Boot Camp in Karthaus as well as SCI Rockview in Centre County.
Although many are aware of the state prison, the Quehanna Boot Camp is a bit more of a mystery, hidden in Karthaus. The program there has helped many inmates change the course of their lives.
The boot camp opened in 1992 as the state’s first “military style motivational boot camp,” according to the Department of Corrections website. It involves a “rigid six-month disciplinary and training program” and is the primary facility for the state drug treatment program.
“A typical day includes physical training, work or education and treatment services.” An inmate or teammate can be granted automatic parole after successfully completing the program.
Eligibility is determined after an evaluation by the Department of Corrections during which they consider the offender’s type of crime and length of sentence.
The boot camp has had an impact on many who have passed through its doors. Comments on a YouTube video about the program are testimonies about the success of the camp.
“I graduated the program in 1999. When I came home and reunited with my wife and family, I never looked back!! I had trouble believing in myself and didn’t like the person I saw in the mirror prior to my arrest and the Quehanna Boot Camp. . . I can literally say that even though I felt shame for committing a crime that the boot camp was the best thing for me and helped change my mindset towards a positive future,” said one former inmate.
Another said, “I graduated the program in 2009. The values instilled in me I still use to this day. Officer Singer of Foxtrot , taught me how to be a man. . .My testimony is this program turned my life around. I’m now a homeowner, a husband, and father.”
This former teammate explained, “At 18 I found myself never having been in trouble before for anything more than skateboarding facing prison time… not county jail, but PRISON. If not for the boot camp, I would have been mixed in at 18 with rapists, murderers, and violent offenders, but instead I was given a 7 month membership to a gym, healthy living, structure, REAL FOOD… and the best damn drill instructor to ever walk through those doors.”
Completing the program helped this man to stop his cycle of incarceration. “Been 7+ years since boot camp. And not once went back to prison. Plan on never going back! Glad I did the boot camp.”
Many local officials have stepped up to save both facilities including Senator Wayne Langerholc, Jr., state Rep. Dallas Kephart, state Rep. Mike Armanini and state Rep. Scott Conklin.
“Governor Shapiro’s plan to close the Quehanna Boot Camp in Clearfield County and SCI Rockview in Centre County is shortsighted, lacks common sense, and would cripple our local economy,” said Langerholc, in a press release.
“Besides ensuring the community’s safety, these facilities provide stable, family sustaining jobs that are essential,” he added.
Kephart stated in the release, “I have visited Quehanna Boot Camp to see the work that they do. Quehanna efficiently lowered recidivism rates and employed many people in the 73rd. Closing a facility to save money, after having just invested in improvements for the facility recently, is an interesting choice and I believe Quehanna is an effective criminal justice center being sacrificed to compensate for a governor’s spending wish list.”
Armani commented, “While visiting Quehanna Boot Camp, I was able to see how well the program works and I believe the location of the camp is a part of the success. Assuring employees find employment in other areas of the correctional system does not guarantee that this extremely successful program will continue if it is cut up and moved to other locations. It is a unique program that works and Pennsylvania should invest in keeping it at the current location.”
If you would like to share your opinion on keeping the boot camp open, you can attend the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections’ listening session on Thursday, April 10, at 5:00 p.m. at Community Alliance Church, 34136 Frenchville Karthaus Highway, in Karthaus.
A session to discuss the proposed closing of SCI Rockview will be held on Tuesday, April 15, at 5 p.m. at Bald Eagle High School, 710 South Eagle Valley Road, Wingate.
You can also provide feedback to the Department of Corrections via email to
ra-crdocclose@pa.gov or by voicemail to 888-316-8950.