GEORGETOWN — The Delaware Department of Correction announced Tuesday that Kent County Community Corrections warden Scott Ceresini has been named warden of Sussex Correctional Institution. Mr. Ceresini’s promotion becomes effective this week.

“Warden Ceresini is a proven leader who is committed to meeting our core safety and security mission while also strongly supporting the healthcare treatment, educational and vocational training, and facility programming that helps achieve our rehabilitation mission and drives offender reentry success,” Chief of Prisons Shane Troxler said.

Mr. Ceresini, an 18-year DOC veteran, joined the prison system as a correctional officer in 2004 after serving in the United States Army for six years. After completing academy training he served assignments at Howard R. Young Correctional Institution and James T. Vaughn Correctional Center before being promoted to corporal with a posting to the Sussex Boot Camp where he served as a drill instructor.

Mr. Ceresini was promoted to correctional sergeant in 2008 and correctional lieutenant in 2012 at the Sussex Community Corrections Center. During his tenure at Sussex he served in supervisory positions, including as an officer in charge of the work release center and violation of probation center, a shift commander, Security Threat Group Coordinator, and as American Correctional Association and Prison Rape Elimination Act Compliance Manager.

Mr. Ceresini continued to rise through the ranks, with promotions to correctional staff lieutenant in 2017 at Morris Community Corrections Center, where he served as a unit commander and the security threat group coordinator, and participated in the Bureau of Community Corrections policy committee. In July, 2019, he was promoted to deputy warden at Baylor Women’s Correctional Institution and in February 2021 he was promoted to warden of Kent County Community Corrections.

Kent County Community Corrections operates the Community Corrections Treatment Center, the statewide treatment facility opened in December, 2020 for inmates sentenced to Level IV substance-use disorder treatment, as well as all Kent County Level IV community work crews. The treatment center administers the prison system’s “Road 2 Recovery” Substance Use Disorder treatment program, which was redesigned in 2020 and consolidated for Level IV male offenders statewide at one site.

Prison system spokesman Jason Miller said the consolidated site was used to standardize program delivery, consolidate treatment staff and modernize outdated treatment practices.

Mr. Ceresini has completed specialized training programs, including Train the Trainer, firearms instructor, Working with Women, the Delaware State Police interview and interrogation techniques and Sex Crimes Investigations courses, and has attended over 100 hours of professional development in Security Threat Groups.

Mr. Ceresini has been recognized as part of the 2015 DOC Team of the Year, has received multiple bureau-level awards, and received two Special Forces Awards as a Security Threat Group Coordinator.

“Congratulations to Warden Ceresini for earning this promotion and embracing the opportunity to lead and support SCI’s dedicated officers and correctional employees and collaborate with treatment, programming and community partners to meet the needs of our incarcerated population and drive our dual public safety and reentry mission,” said Deputy Chief of Prisons Paul Shavack.

Mr. Ceresini succeeds warden Truman Mears who retired last month after 33 years of service to the prison system. He had served as Sussex Correctional Institution warden since January 2020.