FRANKFORT, Ky. (Aug. 12, 2021) – Kentucky Department of Corrections Commissioner Cookie Crews today announced that Larry Chandler has been named warden of Little Sandy Correctional Complex (LSCC) in Elliott County. He takes the helm from outgoing warden Keith Helton, who retired on Aug. 1 after a 25-year career with DOC.
Chandler served as warden of Southeast State Correctional Complex (SSCC) in Wheelwright since the prison’s opening as a state-run facility last year. SSCC Deputy Warden Belinda Sanchez will serve as acting warden of the prison until a new warden is named.
A respected criminal justice professional who served the Commonwealth for 31 years, Chandler retired from DOC in 2008 after serving as warden at four prisons: Kentucky State Reformatory, Luther Luckett Correctional Complex, Green River Correctional Complex and Bell County Forestry Camp. He also served on the Kentucky Parole Board, including two years as Chair. Chandler helped design and oversaw the construction and opening of the state’s newest prisons, Green River Correctional Complex and Little Sandy Correctional Complex.
“The detailed knowledge Larry Chandler has regarding the design and operation of Little Sandy Correctional Complex make him the perfect choice to lead the prison,” said Crews.
Chandler was the first in Kentucky to attain the highest designation, Certified Corrections Executive (CCE), from the American Correctional Association (ACA) as well as Certified Health Care Administrator by the National Commission on Correctional Health Care (NCCHC). He was twice named “Warden of the Year” by the Kentucky Department of Corrections, and twice a nominee for the national Warden of the Year award presented by the North America Association of Wardens and Superintendents (NAAWS). Chandler also spent 12 weeks in the United Arab Emirates training correctional officers at the Al Wathba prison in Abu Dhabi for the ACA.
He has served as an adjunct criminal justice professor at the University of Louisville and is a former member of the board of directors for the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI). He is also a past member of the board of directors for the Oldham County Historical Society.