ELKTON FEDERAL PRISON New warden puts focus on security

Roy Morrison said he intends to devote his spare time to church activities and troubled youth.
By NORMAN LEIGH
VINDICATOR SALEM BUREAU
ELKTON -- A native Ohioan who will be taking over as warden at the federal prison describes himself as a community-oriented people person.
"I'm fair but firm," Roy Morrison, originally from Cleveland, said Friday.
Overseeing inmates requires that philosophy, Morrison noted. "They're not in there for going to church," he added.
As warden, Morrison said he'll seek out a "good, strong partnership" with area community leaders.
Another goal will be security at Federal Correctional Institution Elkton.
Morrison said he intends "to make sure the community remains safe. We have to keep those thugs inside," he added.
Since the prison opened along Scroggs Road in 1997, no inmate has escaped from the facility's low-security fenced area. But six prisoners have walked away from FCI Elkton's unfenced minimum-security camp.
The camp has since been fenced and designated low-security for reasons unconnected with the escapes.
Career: Morrison has served as associate warden at U.S. Penitentiary Lompoc in Lompoc, Calif., since December 1997.
After a nearly 20-year corrections career, his FCI Elkton assignment marks his first as head warden.
"I'll be learning, like most wardens," Morrison said of his new duties. "But I have faith that I can do a good job."
Morrison is coming from a high-security penitentiary with about 1,500 inmates. FCI Elkton has nearly 2,500 low-security inmates, counting the camp.
The incoming warden said he requested being assigned to Ohio's only federal prison.
"I'm pretty excited about coming back close to home," he said. "I consider Ohio and Columbiana County desirable places."
Spare time: When he's not overseeing inmates, Morrison said he hopes to continue his volunteer work coaching youth basketball and soccer, and counseling troubled youths.
As a prison professional, Morrison said he tells at-risk youngsters "what they're heading toward" if they don't straighten out their lives.
Spirituality also is important to the new warden.
"I'm involved in the church quite a bit," he said. "It's important to be well-balanced."
Morrison is replacing Warden John LaManna, FCI Elkton's first warden.
LaManna is transferring to FCI McKean in Bradford, Pa., where he will serve as warden, as part of a routine reassignment policy.