Work Delayed on Electrical Fence for Prison

Construction of a potentially lethal electrified fence around the state prison in Lancaster, slated to begin Wednesday, has been postponed for one month, interim Warden John Ratelle said.

Ratelle said the state Department of Corrections notified him that construction of the fence now is set to begin on May 23. No reason for the delay was provided, prison officials said.

Because of the change, the fence will probably not be activated until the middle of next January, the warden said.

The 13-foot-tall, electrified barrier will be placed between two 12-foot-tall chain-link fences that surround the area where nearly 4,000 medium- and maximum-security inmates are housed. Touching the electrified fence will cause immediate death, state officials said.

Ratelle said the electrified fence, costing about $1 million, will allow the Lancaster prison to save more than $2 million annually by removing armed officers from 10 of the 12 watch towers surrounding the prison.

The new fence is also expected to discourage escapes. A convicted murderer fled from the Lancaster prison last year by climbing over the chain-link fences. He was recaptured several hours later.