Large and in charge

Through the office window sunlight streams, reflected off shimmering concrete and shiny razor wire. On the other side of the window is Samuel Pruett, the new warden at Coffeewood Correctional Center.

On the job since early April, Pruett recently reflected on his experiences and the challenges and changes in the corrections field.

A Charlottesville-area native, Pruett, 57, graduated from Albermarle High School in 1969 and earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of Virginia. He began his career in criminal justice as an intern with the Charlottesville Police Department.

During his 32-year career with the Virginia Department of Corrections, Pruett has held the top spot at four correctional facilities — Mecklenburg, James River and Dillwyn.
Coffeewood Correctional Center, which opened in 1994, houses about 1,200 male inmates.

Pruett said he’s aware of the vehement opposition that arose to placing the prison in Mitchells. But 14 years later, the opposition — and even the awareness of the center’s existence — seems to have abated.

As an example, he recalled his search for a house earlier this year. The real-estate agent asked him where he’d be working in Culpeper.

“I said ‘Coffeewood Correctional Center,’ ” Pruett said. “She asked, ‘Where’s that?’ ”

“A lot of people don’t even know that Coffeewood is even here,” he continued. “To some extent, we’ve been a victim of our success.”

Pruett said that success includes fostering a safe atmosphere where compliance with regulations is maintained with cooperation instead of coercion.

“In the real world, whether it’s at work or at home, people’s behavior is adopted, controlled by a combination of the carrot and the stick,” he said.

Pruett said for many years, using the stick was the standard mindset of most corrections officials.

Pruett said that attitude fostered an unhealthy atmosphere for all, including revolving-door employment. Pruett is the ninth person to head Coffeewood.

Bobby Hickman, the center’s assistant warden, spoke highly of Pruett.

“I’ve been doing this a long time,” he said “But even in the time he’s been here, I’ve learned so much,” Hickman said.

As an example that the changes are working, Pruett cited the fact that out of 1,200 people, only about 10 at any time are in segregation — the area of the prison where people who have caused problems behind bars are separated.

“The biggest challenge that we face at Coffeewood, specifically, is getting our employment numbers back up,” Pruett said. “Corrections in general has a relatively high turnover rate and a lot of people get into it not knowing what to expect.”

Pruett acknowledged that the job can be hazardous, but said that proper training and a good attitude can mitigate the risk.

About 200 work at the center, and there are about 40 vacant security and administrative positions.

Both Pruett and Hickman said better classification of offenders has improved the overall atmosphere in corrections.

A medium security facility, Coffeewood, houses inmates classified as level-two offenders under the state’s correctional system. In general, that means no one with an escape record within the past five years or any incidents of disruptive behavior within the past two years.

Late Friday afternoon, indoors and out, the center was immaculate and quiet. Prison-managed cattle grazed at the front of the property, fed with grains produced on the prison-run, on-site 600-acre farm.

In one of the center’s small recreation yards, a few people tossed a basketball toward a hoop under the hazy, humid skies. Most, however, were inside reading books or sleeping.

Another supervisor explained that many of the men in the dorm had been at work in a privately managed, on-site factory rebuilding automotive starters since early morning.
“Gotta make that hair look good?” Pruett asked one man as he rubbed a styling product onto his head.

“Yes sir,” the inmate responded with a smile.

“Well, I don’t have that problem myself,” Pruett said. Both men laughed.

Nate Delesline III can be reached at 825-0771 ext. 110 or .

About the new warden
Name: Samuel Pruett

Age: 57

Education: bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of Virginia

Career: Pruett has spent 32 years with the state Department of Corrections and has been warden at Mecklenburg, James River, Dillwyn and now Coffeewood prisons.