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Clinton County Prison Warden John Rowley retires

Credited with changing staff and inmate culture

LOCK HAVEN — After nearly three years running the Clinton County Correctional Facility, Warden John Rowley is retiring.

County Commissioners Pete Smeltz and Paul Conklin approved his retirement, “with regrets,” at their voting meeting Thursday.

“You came here with an excellent resume on running prisons,” Smeltz said. “You told us you would help us get from where we were, to where we needed to be. I think we’re there.”

Both commissioners were reluctant to see the warden, who oversaw the first major renovations on the county prison in over a decade, leave the prison after such a short time.

“I wish you could stay a bit longer,” Smeltz said.

“I hate to see you go… but I realize you have your life to live,” Conklin said.

Rowley came to Clinton County in August 2015, with decades of correctional experience. Before the CCCF, he was the warden of facilities from minimum to maximum security for the Maryland Department of Corrections. He has held many different jobs in corrections, working his way up from an entry-level correctional officer to commissioner of the Maryland Department of Corrections, where he supervised more than 7,000 employees at 22 facilities housing 20,000 inmates.

Upon his retirement, Rowley said he will be moving back to the Pittsburgh area to be closer to his children and to spend time with his wife and family.

Commissioners acknowledged Rowley’s accomplishments in changing the staff and inmate culture at the prison and saving the county money over time by spending on the renovations up front.

“Seeing what transpired there over the few years I was here… I was truly amazed at the way the whole facility has transpired,” Conklin said. “We get a lot of accolades (on the prison) from adjoining counties.”

Rowley said he remembered interviewing for the position of warden and being asked what he was going to change about the prison.

“I said, ‘It’s the culture,'” he said. Over the years, he wanted to change the community, prison staff and out-of-county perception of the prison to something more positive and progressive.

And he feels like he has, with help from the county prison board, which consists of the commissioners, Judge Michael Salisbury, District Attorney David Strouse and Sheriff Kerry Stover.

“Too many elected officials care about the next election,” Rowley said. “(But) you are moving this county forward.”

He added, “If you didn’t take the action to renovate that facility (the prison), you would’ve spent several million… to build a new one.”

The prison renovations have come in under their projected budget of $3.5 million. During Rowley’s tenure, in addition to overseeing the renovations, he re-instated outside recreation spaces, got prison officers new uniforms and radios, brought in a licensed mental health counselor and more medical support staff, and reformed staff schedules to promote a better work culture.

Though the prison still faces issues, like implementing the rest of the renovation changes made under Rowley, high correctional officer turnover and detainees attempting to smuggle drugs into the prison, Rowley said he feels like he is leaving his staff in a good place.

A Vietnam veteran who spent most of his adult life working in corrections, Rowley said he has seen many changes throughout the industry, from the widespread use of technology to the need for improving staff and detainee conditions in order to effectively run a prison.

“I owe it to my wife, who has followed me through three states and been married to a warden for 40 years,” Rowley said.

He said he grew to love Clinton County in his time here, and plans to come back for visits.

The warden’s retirement will go into effect May 5.

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