Jason Queal and Diana Prinzi at the Genesee County Jail on West Main Street Road (Photo by Mike Pettinella)
By Mike Pettinella
For Video News Service
Both Diana Prinzi and Jason Queal, longtime Genesee County residents, have checked a lot of boxes on their way to being promoted to superintendent and deputy superintendent, respectively, at the new Genesee County Jail at 3839 West Main St. Rd. in the Town of Batavia.
Prinzi has worked in law enforcement for 26 years, including 22 years in various capacities with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the past three years as coordinator of Genesee Justice, the alternatives to incarceration program under the auspices of the Genesee County Sheriff’s Office.
Queal has more than 12 years with the sheriff’s office under his belt – starting as a correction officer and then moving up to senior correction officer in 2017.
County Sheriff Joseph Graff appointed Queal to the deputy superintendent position last December, shortly before selecting Prinzi as superintendent of the state-of-the-art, 184-bed (maximum) facility just east of Genesee County Building 2.
The superintendent job became open at the end of 2024 when William Zipfel retired after 42 years with the agency.
In an interview with Video News Service on Thursday afternoon, both officials said it was an honor – and a challenge – to work at the new jail, with a goal “to grow the facility and learn how to adapt to it.”
“Now that we have the space to develop different programs, our goal is to be beneficial for those who are in here, beneficial for the staff as far as safety and security goes, to be able to offer more – whether it is as simple as group counseling sessions or anger management or GED courses,” Prinzi said. “And we really want to implement more training for the officers.”
Calling it “a clean slate,” Prinzi said her staff is working to put policies and procedures in place – tasks that she handled while with ICE at the federal detention center in Batavia.
“It’s a process to figure out exactly what you need staffing to do in certain areas and how to adjust the old way of doing things at 14 West Main (site of the old county jail) to make it work here,” she said.
“Jason is the expert in those areas because I didn’t work in that jail. We take ‘this is how we used to do it’ and we tweak it a little bit to make it fit this operation. Now that we have the building, we have to learn how to live in it; to use every feature that it has to make it the best possible. It’s going to take some time. It’s not going to happen overnight.”
Queal said he’s excited about the potential of the new jail.
“Much is different, and a lot of things needed to change – just with the times and the plant layout,” he offered. “I really wanted to be a part of that and work with everyone involved here. It’s a lot better here. The other jail was very old and outdated.”
As she takes on new responsibilities, Prinzi drew a parallel to the start of her career with ICE.
“When I started with ICE in 1997, the detention facility that was under construction, so we were there from the beginning. I was part of the original group of officers that opened that building,” she recalled. “I was part of the policy and procedure and accreditation team in that facility for several years. I wrote policy and procedures and accreditation to the American Correctional Association, so I had a lot of background when it came to that.”
She took on a supervisory role with ICE, assisting with detention, intake (processing) and transportation.
“I have a lot of experience in what I’m doing now, just at a different level – federal versus county,” she noted.
For Queal, who was recognized for distinguished service in 2023, the move to deputy superintendent is another step up the ladder.
“It was always a question of whether I wanted to be in a superintendent role,” he said. In 2023, they made this position, and I applied for it then … in anticipation of the new jail (being built).”
As far as the prison population is concerned, Queal said the facility houses men and women who have committed crimes “from low-level misdemeanor to very high felony; from simple theft to a murder charge.”
Currently, there are around 100 inmates in three of the jail’s four pods (or housing areas) – two for males and one for females. The fourth pod is not in use at this time.
Prinzi said the jail is a direct supervision-style facility – meaning that inmates are assigned to cells in their pods but they “can come out and mingle throughout the day.”
“They have common areas and recreation areas so it’s very different,” she said. “The old jail had linear cells, with bars.”
While awareness on the part of the correction officers is always important, it is heightened due to the difference in housing arrangements.
“There’s one officer in the unit with all of those inmates – that’s what direct supervision is,” Prinzi said. “There are other officers that come in and out for various reasons throughout the day, but you have to be very aware of what’s going on.”
She said that staffing has increased to about 50 correction officers – along with a full-time cook and two part-time cooks. The sheriff’s office contracts for medical services and with Genesee County Mental Health and UConnectCare for mental health and substance use counseling, respectively.
“We have volunteers that provide religious services and now we’re offering opportunities for inmates to get their GED,” Prinzi added.
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Sheriff Joseph Graff’s statement on the appointment of Chad Minuto, Diana Prinzi and Jason Queal to their new positions:
“The Genesee County Sheriff’s Office is proud to welcome such experienced and dedicated professionals into these key leadership roles. Their commitment to safety and integrity along with their extensive backgrounds working in law enforcement and corrections will strengthen our team and enhance our ability to serve our jail facility and community.
“I have full confidence in their abilities to lead with professionalism and compassion, and I look forward to the positive impact they will bring to our Office.”
Link to related story: GENESEE COUNTY/Chad Minuto promoted to chief deputy of criminal investigations – Video News Service
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