The questions facing Jerry Sandusky are far from over.
After receiving a sentence of 30 to 60 years in prison Tuesday morning, the former Penn State assistant football coach returned to the Centre County Correctional Facility — but only for a short time.
In a little over a week, Sandusky will make the journey to the State Correctional Institution in Camp Hill, the place he will call home during the diagnostic process all male inmates must undergo before entering state prisons across Pennsylvania, said Susan McNaughton, the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections press secretary.
Upon arriving, the 68-year-old man will be subjected to interviews about his background, upbringing, daily routines and criminal offenses, McNaughton said. These tests will help to determine the facility in which Sandusky will be permanently housed, she said.
The answers Sandusky provides will also determine the programs he will be required to participate in and the risks associated with the convicted child abuser, McNaughton said. Many of the tests are used to analyze an inmate’s chances of re-offending and their potential danger to the general prison population.
But Sandusky shouldn’t be a threat, said Robin Wilson, a psychologist who specializes in sexual and social behavior.
Due to Sandusky’s age and the 45 counts of sexual abuse he was found guilty of in late June, Wilson said he suspects the older man will keep to himself.
While McNaughton said most inmates aren’t placed in special housing — unless deemed a special case after diagnostic testing — Wilson said he would advise the state prison system to keep Sandusky in protective custody.
“I could see someone on the range who would take it almost like a badge of honor to be the one to beat up Jerry Sandusky,” Wilson said.
The convicted child molester may also face issues when it comes to the programs he will most likely be required to complete if he ever hopes to gain parole.
Inmates facing shorter sentences are granted first access to treatment programs, McNaughton said, and with a sentence of at least 30 years, Sandusky will most likely not be first on the admittance list.
In maintaining his innocence, Sandusky also has not acknowledged nor accepted his charges, Wilson said, which will most likely deny him access to many of the sex offender programs available to inmates.
“He’s highly entrenched against saying he’s done anything wrong,” Wilson said. “I would say he’s trying to save face and is shameful of what he’s done.”
But if lawyers are planning to appeal his case, Sandusky is making the right decision, he said.
Both Joe Amendola and Karl Rominger, defense attorneys for Sandusky, have made it clear they intend to appeal the case of the grounds of lack of trial preparation time and implied guilt made by the prosecution through Sandusky’s silence, Amendola said following the sentencing.
Sandusky also said during his statement at the sentencing that he intends to fight the charges that portray him as “a monster.”
“In this case, it’s not just that he’s denying the offenses,” Wilson said. “It’s that his offenses are still going before the court.”
The diagnostic process in Camp Hill could take several weeks or months, depending on the influx of inmates the institution receives upon Sandusky’s arrival, McNaughton said.
Presiding Judge John Cleland told Sandusky in court Tuesday that “the tragedy of this crime is that it’s a story of betrayal” and that Sandusky’s sentence was given with the purpose to serve as a life sentence.
Sandusky’s defense attorneys have 10 days following the sentencing to file post-sentencing motions.
