State Correctional Institution – Laurel Highlands

Prison in Pennsylvania, United States

State Correctional Institution - Laurel Highlands


Location	Somerset Township, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Status	Open
Security class	Minimum security
Opened	1996
Former name	Somerset State Hospital
Managed by	Pennsylvania Department of Corrections

State Correctional Institution – Laurel Highlands is a minimum-security facility in Somerset Township, Pennsylvania, about 70 miles southeast of Pittsburgh. The prison houses minimum-security inmates, particularly geriatric and mentally ill males.

History

SCI – Laurel Highlands is on the campus of the former Somerset State Hospital, which closed in mid-1995.^[1] The facility was then converted into its current facility and opened in 1996.^[2]

Notable inmates

Thomas W. Druce, former Pennsylvania State Representative, convicted for leaving the scene of an accident, insurance fraud, and tampering with evidence, in the fatal killing of a 42-year-old former U.S. Marine; Druce was released in 2006.
John du Pont, convicted in the murder of Olympic gold-medalist wrestler Dave Schultz; du Pont died in prison in 2010.
Ira Einhorn, nicknamed The Unicorn Killer, he evaded justice for over two decades before being extradited from France in 2001 to stand trial for the 1977 murder of his girlfriend Holly Maddux; Einhorn died in prison on April 2, 2020.
George Feigley, sex cult leader and child molester
Scott Ritter, intelligence officer and sex offender
Jerry Sandusky, former Penn State football coach and serial child molester

References

^ "State Vows Mentally-Ill won't be 'dumped' from hospitals" - Washington, Pennsylvania Observer-Reporter (7/18/1995)
^ State Correctional Institution – Laurel Highlands