WITNESS
Ashbel T. (A.T.) Wall, II, is the Director of the Rhode Island Department of Corrections. Prior to this appointment in 2000, Mr. Wall served in the capacity of Assistant Director for almost 10 years. In this position, he was responsible for the central management of Departmental operations and functioned as the Director's second-in-command.
Mr. Wall's career in corrections began in 1976 as a Probation Officer. He subsequently graduated from law school and served as a prosecutor in Manhattan. He then joined the Vera Institute of Justice, where he was Director of a sentencing project for chronic offenders convicted by the New York City Courts. A native of Rhode Island, Mr. Wall returned to his home state in 1985 and worked in the Governor's Office on policy issues related to corrections and criminal justice. He was tapped by the Director of Corrections to join the Department in 1987 as Assistant Director. Mr. Wall was named Interim Director in 1999.
Mr. Wall received a Bachelors of Arts Degree summa cum laude from Yale University, where he was elected to Phi Beta Kappa. He received a Juris Doctor degree from Yale Law School.
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STATEMENT
Recognizing that our correctional institutions - like all other institutions in which the exercise of power is a defining characteristic- have the potential for abuse, we cannot sit idly by. If we do so, we run the substantial risk that the dynamics of these environments will default to a position where misconduct can ultimately flourish. Dick Franklin of the National Institute of Corrections has referred to these phenomena as the "default culture." Instead, as organizational leaders we must move aggressively and proactively to institute the checks and balances that serve to mitigate the potential for harm. It is our affirmative duty as correctional leaders and I believe that we take it very, very seriously.…
As correctional leaders we have the duty and the opportunity to shape the culture of our agencies and institutions. If we do not want the culture to default into one of hostility, conflict and unprofessionalism, we must work tirelessly to promote a positive alternative.
What are the elements of a values-driven culture? They include respect; dignity; a firm, fair, consistent and humane approach to inmate management; a commitment to constitutional principles; a sense of pride that allows no tolerance for misbehaviors which tarnish the organization; and honesty and integrity.
…I am convinced that this deliberate process of seeding and nurturing a healthy culture is the key to an accountable correctional system. When a values-driven philosophy of professionalism takes hold from within, it becomes accepted and even embraced by the staff who make their work lives there. Once the staff owns these values, they endure beyond the moment. We will have created an accountability that can last.
Excerpted from a written statement submitted to the Commission
Download the complete written statement
Note: Some witnesses submitted documents in addition to the written statement they prepared for the hearing. In most cases, those documents are not available on the Commission's web site.
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