Warden Joe DeMore to leave Butler County Prison; search for new hire begins
Butler County Prison is seeking a new warden, as Joe DeMore is transitioning to a new position outside of Butler County sometime this summer, county commissioners said Friday.
DeMore, who has been the warden since 2015, replaced Rick Shaffer as warden of Butler County Prison after Shaffer’s retirement.
DeMore, a graduate of Slippery Rock University, previously worked as deputy warden of operations at Allegheny County Jail.
“He’s been a wonderful asset. I know Butler County will forever benefit from his tutelage,” county commissioner Kevin Boozel said.
A job opening for a new warden has been posted on Indeed.
Under DeMore’s supervision, prison initiatives, such as a GED program, offered inmates the “tools, knowledge and connections to get out and succeed and hopefully learn from their mistakes,” Boozel said.
“Those things create an easier opportunity for people to get reinvested in society,” he said. “A lifetime of punishment is not what he believed in.”
According to county commissioner Leslie Osche, DeMore will be moving out-of-state for his new position. His last day as warden of Butler County Prison will be sometime this summer, she said.
Earlier this month, county commissioners presented DeMore and Butler County Prison staff with a proclamation in honor of Corrections Employee Week.
“I know he’s making a huge leap in his career. He’s earned every bit that he gets,” Boozel said.
DeMore could not be reached for comments.
