WILMINGTON, Del.- Delaware Department of Correction Commissioner Robert M. Coupe on Monday announced that Steven Wesley has been named warden at Howard R. Young Correctional Institution in Wilmington. The appointment becomes effective June 29. Wesley replaces Phil Morgan, who recently retired.
Young Correctional Institution is the state’s second largest male correctional facility, housing around 1,600 individuals. It holds almost half of the state’s detainee population and generates approximately 60 percent of all admissions into the Delaware correctional system.
Wesley was previously warden of DOC New Castle County Community Corrections, comprised of Plummer Community Corrections Center, Plant Women’s Treatment Facility, and the Webb Community Corrections Center. He held that position since June 2008, when he came to the DOC from the Delaware Department of Services for Children, Youth and Their Families.
During his career at DSCYF, Wesley held several positions within the Division of Youth Rehabilitative Services, including deputy director and superintendent of the New Castle County Detention Center. He also worked in Juvenile Probation and Aftercare as a senior probation & parole officer in the Serious Offenders Unit, as an office supervisor and, ultimately, regional manager.
Additional law enforcement experience includes work as an internal affairs investigator for the Oakland (California) Police Department, as well as time in the Gangs, Narcotics and Felony Unit of both the Oakland and Fremont (California) police departments.
“Warden Wesley’s strong leadership and extensive experience in law enforcement and corrections will allow him to manage the unique dynamics of HRYCI, which has a high volume of admissions and releases and a large population of individuals awaiting adjudication,” said Coupe. “I am honored to name him warden and look forward to working with him as we continue to move the Department of Correction forward.”
A member of the American Correctional Association, Wesley has two degrees from the University of Delaware – a bachelor of arts in sociology and a master of arts in urban affairs and public policy. He shares his knowledge and experience as an adjunct professor in criminal justice at Wilmington University and at Springfield College in Wilmington.
