March 18, 2003

Orsino taking new job at old digs

By Brendan Scott
Times Herald-Record

Goshen – The new Orange County Jail is 2.5 miles away from and light years ahead of the Erie Street clink where Dominick Orsino began his correction career in 1971.

Back then, jailers still carried large iron keys and inmates still banged on metal bars to taunt them as they walked the blocks. Today, at the $92 million jail on Wells Farm Road, correction officers sit in relative safety as inmates make muffled shouts from cozy dorm-style cells.

As Orange County correction administrator, Orsino hopes to bring a similar calm to the jail's administration, which has been at the center of numerous controversies over the years. Allegations of prisoner mistreatment and abuse continue.

"I'd like to assist in running a clean, well-ordered and professional facility," Orsino said. "Part of it is setting a tone, establishing rules. It cuts down on the conflict that's inherently built into this business."

If Orsino's words sound similar to those of his new boss, Sheriff Carl DuBois, that's no accident. DuBois said he picked Orsino because he seemed like a "team player."

Orsino certainly gave that impression at his first public appearance yesterday.

The 58-year-old City of Newburgh resident projects an easy manner and offers a firm handshake. He's an avid reader with an affinity for Elizabethan history, a guy who likes to spend quiet evenings entertaining family and friends.

County officials say Orsino also has experience. He's about to retire from a 26-year stint with the state Department of Correctional Services, where he served as deputy superintendent of Downstate Correctional Facility in Fishkill.

Now, it's back to the future for Orsino, who worked as a deputy in the Erie Street jail until 1977.

"I distinctly remember the day I left, there were 276 prisoners in 176 cells," Orsino said.

"It was very difficult. [The new jail] is a well-organized facility. It's really a great day for me to be coming back to the old department."

Orsino must still be approved by the county Legislature. But Minority Leader Anthony Marino, D-Newburgh, said he expects it will be a "smooth process" to appoint Orsino to the job, vacant since July 2001.

"It'll be good to finally have all the pieces in place, administratively," Marino said. "Hopefully, now we can move on and, like Mr. Orsino said, have a quiet, orderly jail without any more embarrassments."