Current:Home > InvestJail where murderer Danilo Cavalcante escaped plans to wall off yard and make other upgrades -NextFrontier Finance
Jail where murderer Danilo Cavalcante escaped plans to wall off yard and make other upgrades
View
Date:2025-04-17 04:09:21
The Pennsylvania jail from which convicted murderer Danilo Cavalcante brazenly escaped, eluding searchers for two weeks, plans to enclose its exercise yards with walls and a roof and make inmates wear brighter uniforms, along with other security improvements.
The Chester County jail board unanimously approved plans Wednesday to fully enclose the exercise yards at the facility in Pocopson, southwest of Philadelphia. The project is expected to cost $2.5 million to $3.5 million and could take as long as nine months to complete.
TranSystems, a Kansas City, Missouri-based engineering and design company hired for the redesign, said the new enclosures will be a “permanent solution” to the security flaws that Cavalcante exploited in his Aug. 31 escape by crab-walking up between two walls that were topped with razor wire and then jumping from the roof.
The redesign plan calls for fully enclosed exercise yards, with 18-foot-high masonry walls to replace fencing, and the removal of shed roofs that could inmates could scale. The plan also calls for removing basketball hoops.
The design notably blocks overhead sunlight into the yard, save for a small ribbon of windows at the top with secure screening. An LED lighting system will mimic daylight, the company said.
The design will prevent escape attempts and block contraband delivery by drones or other remote devices, according to TranSystem. The jail’s acting warden also proposed additional security upgrades — including the installation of at least 50 new cameras and the hiring of eight more guards — that were also approved by the board.
Funding will come from the county’s remaining federal pandemic relief allotment.
Other planned changes include brightly colored inmate uniforms that are easier to spot in an escape attempt.
Cavalcante, 34, was convicted of killing his ex-girlfriend, Deborah Brandao, in front of her children in 2021. Prosecutors say he wanted to stop her from telling police he was wanted for another killing in Brazil. At the time of his escape, he was awaiting transfer to a state prison to serve a life sentence.
He was captured after a two-week manhunt that left residents on edge and led to school closures right at the start of the academic year, warnings for homeowners to lock their doors and blocked roads over the busy Labor Day weekend.
Cavalcante was charged with escape after his capture, and his next hearing in that case is scheduled for Wednesday. No lawyer has yet spoken on his behalf. He is now being held at a state prison outside Philadelphia.
veryGood! (7)
Related
- Backstage at New York's Jingle Ball with Jimmy Fallon, 'Queer Eye' and Meghan Trainor
- Biden says each generation has to ‘earn’ freedom, in solemn Memorial Day remarks
- Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie's 15-Year-Old Daughter Credited as Vivienne Jolie in Broadway Playbill
- Voter outreach groups targeted by new laws in several GOP-led states are struggling to do their work
- Juan Soto to be introduced by Mets at Citi Field after striking record $765 million, 15
- Athletic Club's Iñaki Williams played with shard of glass in his foot for 2 years
- Sean Baker's Anora wins Palme d'Or, the Cannes Film Festival's top honor
- As Atlantic hurricane season begins, Florida community foundations prepare permanent disaster funds
- Can Bill Belichick turn North Carolina into a winner? At 72, he's chasing one last high
- Golfer Grayson Murray's parents reveal his cause of death in emotional statement
Ranking
- How to watch the 'Blue Bloods' Season 14 finale: Final episode premiere date, cast
- $15 Big Macs: As inflation drives up fast food prices, map shows how they differ nationwide
- Nation's longest-serving flight attendant dies at 88: Fly high, Bette
- With 345,000 tickets sold, storms looming, Indy 500 blackout looks greedy, archaic
- Realtor group picks top 10 housing hot spots for 2025: Did your city make the list?
- What's open and closed for Memorial Day? See which stores and restaurants are operating today.
- WNBA Rookie of the Year odds: Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese heavy favorites early on
- Indianapolis 500 weather updates: Start of 2024 race delayed by thunderstorms
Recommendation
Woman dies after Singapore family of 3 gets into accident in Taiwan
Sean Baker's Anora wins Palme d'Or, the Cannes Film Festival's top honor
Alex Wennberg scores in OT, Alexis Lafreniere has highlight-reel goal as Rangers top Panthers
European space telescope photos reveal new insights in deep space
'Malcolm in the Middle’ to return with new episodes featuring Frankie Muniz
Leo lives! Miracle dog survives after owner dies in Fenn treasure hunt
Ben Stiller and Christine Taylor's 22-Year-Old Daughter Ella Stiller Graduates From Juilliard
Sophia Bush responds to Ashlyn Harris engagement rumors: 'The internet is being wild'