SCRANTON -- A new man's in charge at the Lackawanna County Prison.
Tim Betti is from the area and now takes over at a lockup that has seen its share of scandal.
Betti, of Jessup, is the first new warden at the Lackawanna County Prison in five years. He takes over while the prison handles an investigation into alleged misconduct that has six corrections officers on paid leave.
The Lackawanna County Prison Board unanimously approved Betti as new warden at the lockup. Eleven people applied and the field was narrowed down to three candidates. At its meeting Monday, the board selected the man from Jessup who's no stranger to the county prison.
"It takes a very long time to turn a very large ship around. That’s my philosophy. It’s slow and steady, but we’re going to make progress. It doesn’t happen overnight," said Warden Tim Betti.
Betti takes over for Robert McMillan whose tenure at the prison in Scranton lasted five years.
It was tumultuous at times for the prison with several high-profile stories including the escape by murderer Michael Simonson as well as the arrest and conviction of Joseph Black, a corrections officer who sexually assaulted female inmates for a decade.
And now, six corrections officers were suspended this month during an investigation into alleged inappropriate contact with a former inmate.
"I’ve been through a lot of rough seas with the Lackawanna County Prison. I’ve been there from 1988 to 2012. I was at the prison and through rough spats in '03 and '04 and through a couple of warden changes. I know nothing is easy," he said.
Betti returns to the prison after a stint at the Lackawanna County Juvenile Detention Center.
Prison board officials hope he is part of the solution to fixing the problems.
"The prison itself is a work in progress now. We’re starting with a new warden. It’s a new day and new start," said Lackawanna County Commissioner Pat O'Malley.
Betti starts right away and tells Newswatch 16 he hopes to focus on helping inmates with coping skills that will keep them out of jail once they're released.
