PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — The Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office announced the arrests of two Philadelphia correctional officers on Tuesday accused of smuggling drugs and other contraband to inmates at Curran-Fromhold Correctional Facility in Holmesburg.
Officials said the separate smuggling schemes operated by 41-year-old Roderick Price and 23-year-old Christina Ingram brought in thousands of dollars. They would be paid in either cash by the inmates or electronically by their families.
Authorities said the schemes were discovered while the city’s gun violence task force was investigating a shooting and kidnapping alongside the ATF, and a detective learned that an inmate at Curran-Fromhold was receiving contraband from within the prison system.
District Attorney Larry Krasner described the alleged actions of Price and Ingram as “unacceptable.”
“When you take money to bring contraband into a correctional institution, you endanger everyone. You create a culture of lawlessness in that prison,” he said.
Eric Desadario, president of the union representing the city’s correctional staff, called the suspects “rotten apples” that don’t represent the values of the officers in the prison system.
“You’re weak if you do something like that,” he said. “Come to work, do your job, go home. Don’t take this life home with you, and don’t take your home life here.”
Price, a correctional officer since 2006, was arrested at his home, while Ingram was arrested at Curran-Fromhold, where she’s been employed for a year.
The arrests come at a time when the need for corrections officers are at an all-time high, as understaffing runs rampant at Philadelphia’s facilities.
Prison Commissioner Michael Resnick acknowledged his department’s recruiting goals when speaking of Price and Ingram’s accused actions.
“While we need more correctional officers, we need officers with integrity,” he said.
Editor’s update, Sept. 1, 2025:
Price pleaded guilty to three counts, including drug, conspiracy and contraband charges. The rest of the charges were dropped. He was sentenced to three years non-reporting probation. Ingram has a hearing scheduled for September, and there’s no indication whether she will plead guilty.