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Our Opinion: Bazaars add zest to summers in Northeastern Pennsylvania

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Letter to the Editor: Bereaved family of Bernard Morris extends thanks for kindnesses

<p>It appears that most prisoners, no matter how dangerous they might be, are allowed to roam freely, unrestrained, in the Luzerne County prison.</p><p>That was a privilege extended to Timothy Gilliam Jr., who had a history of committing violent crimes, including one in which he reportedly needed to be Tasered three times before he was subdued.</p><p>Whether that freedom contributed to the shocking death of 25-year-old correctional officer Kristopher Moules remains to be seen. For some reason, with the exception of an officer in a security shack, Moules reportedly was alone with Gilliam on the prison&#8217;s fifth floor when this horrific incident took place.</p><p>Monday night, Gilliam and Moules allegedly had words before an altercation broke out that ended tragically when the two crashed into an elevator door and plunged several floors to their deaths. It&#8217;s hard to imagine how an elevator door opened simply from two people slamming into it.</p><p>County Manager C. David Pedri called this a &#8220;freak accident&#8221; and a &#8220;tragic day in Luzerne County.&#8221; The elevator recently passed inspection, he said. Perhaps that inspection report needs to be reviewed as well.</p><p>General population inmates typically are allowed in common areas on their floors without restraints, <a href="https://www.timesleader.com/news/567935/county-prison-officials-say-inmates-are-not-typically-locked-in-their-cells" target="_blank">the Times Leader reported</a> Friday. Only if a prisoner exhibits aggression or other threatening behavior would he be restrained, county correctional services division head Mark Rockovich said.</p><p>For Moules, those conditions were too little too late. Gilliam&#8217;s penchant for violence speaks for itself.</p><p>Gilliam reportedly was a native of New York and a former resident of the trouble-prone Sherman Hills housing development in Wilkes-Barre. He previously was charged with fighting off police while clutching an infant he had abducted from Sherman Hills, the newspaper reported. When police caught up with him on Northampton Street, they reportedly had to zap him three times with a Taser to rescue the baby. </p><p>A month prior to the infant abduction, Gilliam was charged with punching and kicking his then-girlfriend at an apartment in Wilkes-Barre, the newspaper reported. For that, this brute was sentenced to 12 months probation on a misdemeanor simple assault charge. Who would have thought that kicking and punching a woman was merely a simple assault?</p><p>In 2007, Gilliam was charged with raping a 14-year-old girl who was sleeping in a home on Dougher Lane. He admitted he knew the girl was only 14, but that he had sex with her because she was &#8220;adorable,&#8221; according to another published report. He was sentenced to six to 18 months in prison. Gilliam was ordered to register as a sex offender, but had failed, as required, to notify state police that he changed his address. </p><p>Now, an upstanding young man &#8211; an outstanding athlete, and a beloved son who aspired to be a state trooper &#8211; is dead. A grieving family is left in shock. So is Kristopher Moules&#8217; prison family, as well as his friends and teachers from Wyoming Valley West High School, Lackawanna College and Youngstown State University in Ohio, and the community at large.</p><p>Moules, the son of Kenneth and Kitty Moules of Larksville, only began his job at the prison last September. </p><p>One prison guard who did not want to be identified told the Times Leader, &#8220;That prison is out of control.&#8221; That appears to be an understatement considering that former prison counselor Lou Elmy, an alleged drug addict, was extorting drugs, cash and alcohol from prisoners &#8211; for years &#8211; in exchange for unauthorized leaves of absence, according to prosecutors.</p><p>Pedri said he wants to renew discussions to build a new prison. Everyone wants that, but unfortunately that lofty goal might be cost prohibitive with county debt repayments totaling $351 million.</p><p>There&#8217;s no doubt about it, the county is in a bind. It needs a new prison to replace its dilapidated, century-old one, but it has no money.</p><p>In the wake of this horrific incident, we all should appreciate the dangerous jobs police and corrections officers report to each day. </p><p>County officials have vowed to re-evaluate staffing levels and to do everything possible to enhance security measures at the prison.</p><p>Maybe they also could review who should be allowed in the general prison population to attend support groups, exercise and visit the law library, without restraints. This is prison, not camp.</p><style>
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<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>Zeroing In</p><p>Betty Roccograndi</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Betty Roccograndi, a former Times Leader reporter and award-winning journalist, is a freelance columnist. Reach her by email at broccograndi@gmail.com.</p></shirttailMeta></div>

Zeroing In: Review Luzerne County prison’s rules on use of restraints