Delaware News

31-year DOC veteran named Warden of Howard R. Young Correctional Institution

News | Date Posted: Thursday, March 28, 2024



Wilmington, DE – The Delaware Department of Correction (DOC) announced today that Philip Parker, Deputy Warden at James T. Vaughn Correctional Center (JTVCC) and a 31-year DOC veteran, has been promoted to Warden of Howard R. Young Correctional Institution in Wilmington (HRYCI), effective immediately. The appointment fills the vacancy created when then-HRYCI Warden Brian Emig was named Warden of JTVCC last month.

“Warden Parker is a steadfast and capable leader who has extensive experience managing complex prison operations,” Bureau Chief of Prisons Robert May said. “Warden Parker built his correctional career at HRYCI and he has deep personal knowledge of the facility and its unique role in serving a population split evenly between pre-trial and sentenced individuals. He is in a strong position to lead HRYCI forward, working with its capable and motivated staff to meet its security needs and to continue to grow the facility’s training and treatment programs.”

Warden Parker joined the Department of Correction in 1992, completed his Correctional Officer training and was assigned to Howard R. Young Correctional Institution, where he earned promotion to Corporal (1997), Sergeant (1998), Lieutenant (2001), Staff Lieutenant (2004), and Captain (2004). In 2008 he was further promoted to Major where he served as a member of the Warden’s senior leadership team and as the facility’s Security Superintendant with day-to-day responsibility for maintaining safety and security for correctional officers, staff, and inmates. In 2013, after more than 20 consecutive years of service at HRYCI, he was promoted to Deputy Warden at James T. Vaughn Correctional Center, the state’s largest prison facility, where he has had overall management responsibility for facility security operations and has served periods of time as Acting Warden.

Warden Parker has completed specialized training and certifications through the National Institute of Corrections, FBI-LEEDA, and Wilmington University, including Correctional Leadership Development, Executive Leadership, Management, Internal Affairs investigations, and Emergency Preparednesss Instructor. He has received multiple Department of Correction Commissioner Awards, is a recipient of the Department of Correction Team of the Year awards, and received the US Air Force Achievement Award for his participation in Operations Desert Storm and Just Cause. Before joining the DOC, Warden Parker served in the United States Air Force as a security Specialist for seven years.

The Howard R. Young Correctional Institution, located in Wilmington, is named for the facility’s first Warden when it opened in 1982. The original facility was designed to hold 360 detainees who are awaiting trial or sentencing. In 1992 a new section opened adding 480 beds for sentenced offenders. Additional construction projects have further increased the capacity and average daily inmate population today exceeds 1,100. HRYCI provides a variety of treatment and education programs, counseling, recreation, and religious services for pre-trial detainees and sentenced offenders.

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31-year DOC veteran named Warden of Howard R. Young Correctional Institution

News | Date Posted: Thursday, March 28, 2024



Wilmington, DE – The Delaware Department of Correction (DOC) announced today that Philip Parker, Deputy Warden at James T. Vaughn Correctional Center (JTVCC) and a 31-year DOC veteran, has been promoted to Warden of Howard R. Young Correctional Institution in Wilmington (HRYCI), effective immediately. The appointment fills the vacancy created when then-HRYCI Warden Brian Emig was named Warden of JTVCC last month.

“Warden Parker is a steadfast and capable leader who has extensive experience managing complex prison operations,” Bureau Chief of Prisons Robert May said. “Warden Parker built his correctional career at HRYCI and he has deep personal knowledge of the facility and its unique role in serving a population split evenly between pre-trial and sentenced individuals. He is in a strong position to lead HRYCI forward, working with its capable and motivated staff to meet its security needs and to continue to grow the facility’s training and treatment programs.”

Warden Parker joined the Department of Correction in 1992, completed his Correctional Officer training and was assigned to Howard R. Young Correctional Institution, where he earned promotion to Corporal (1997), Sergeant (1998), Lieutenant (2001), Staff Lieutenant (2004), and Captain (2004). In 2008 he was further promoted to Major where he served as a member of the Warden’s senior leadership team and as the facility’s Security Superintendant with day-to-day responsibility for maintaining safety and security for correctional officers, staff, and inmates. In 2013, after more than 20 consecutive years of service at HRYCI, he was promoted to Deputy Warden at James T. Vaughn Correctional Center, the state’s largest prison facility, where he has had overall management responsibility for facility security operations and has served periods of time as Acting Warden.

Warden Parker has completed specialized training and certifications through the National Institute of Corrections, FBI-LEEDA, and Wilmington University, including Correctional Leadership Development, Executive Leadership, Management, Internal Affairs investigations, and Emergency Preparednesss Instructor. He has received multiple Department of Correction Commissioner Awards, is a recipient of the Department of Correction Team of the Year awards, and received the US Air Force Achievement Award for his participation in Operations Desert Storm and Just Cause. Before joining the DOC, Warden Parker served in the United States Air Force as a security Specialist for seven years.

The Howard R. Young Correctional Institution, located in Wilmington, is named for the facility’s first Warden when it opened in 1982. The original facility was designed to hold 360 detainees who are awaiting trial or sentencing. In 1992 a new section opened adding 480 beds for sentenced offenders. Additional construction projects have further increased the capacity and average daily inmate population today exceeds 1,100. HRYCI provides a variety of treatment and education programs, counseling, recreation, and religious services for pre-trial detainees and sentenced offenders.

image_printPrint


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Keep up to date by receiving a daily digest email, around noon, of current news release posts from state agencies on news.delaware.gov.

Here you can subscribe to future news updates.