Howard Holland

At an April 29 public meeting, the Chester County (Pa.) Prison Board of Inspectors unanimously approved the appointment of Howard Holland as Warden of Chester County Prison.

Commenting on the appointment, Chair of the Chester County Prison Board of Inspectors Josh Maxwell said, “In the eight months that Howard Holland has served as Acting Warden, Chester County Prison has seen improvements in safety and security systems, with plans to continue strengthening security measures. At the same time, Howard has recognized the importance of prison staff strengths and the value of a comprehensive training program to develop corrections officer and leadership skills, as well as recruit new corrections officers and prison support staff.”

Maxwell added that Howard’s ‘hands on’ experience in overseeing all correctional and operational functions of the prison—along with 27 years of experience in law enforcement and security—assured all members of the Prison Board that he was the right person for the role.

Prior to his appointment as Acting Warden in August 2023, Holland was assigned the role of special advisor to the Chester County Prison Board.  In that role, he helped to identify operational concerns, developed recommendations in conjunction with correctional consultants, evaluated the effectiveness of staff training and ensured that any recommended changes would comply with all local, state, and federal regulations and statutes.

Holland served with the Downingtown Borough Police Department from 1997 to 2023 and was appointed Chief of Police for the last seven of those years.  During that time, he also worked as a special county detective.

Holland is a graduate of the Delaware County Police Academy, the FBI National Academy, and holds a Bachelor of Science in Public Safety Administration from Neumann University.