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A.T. Wall, longtime chief of R.I. prisons, to retire

Providence Journal - 11/29/2017

Nov. 29--PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- After 30 years in top posts in the state prison system, Ashbel T. Wall -- the longest serving corrections director in the country -- is retiring at the end of January.

Looking back Tuesday on how much has changed in those three decades, Wall, 64, said the state prison system is no longer under the thumb of organized crime. The inmate count is down by 30 percent, from a peak of 4,000 in 2008. And the racial and ethnic makeup of the staff looks a lot more like the makeup of the changing population of Rhode Island than it once did.

"We need to have people who understand the customs, who speak the language, who can be role models," Wall mused. "It's a security consideration as well."

But one thing hasn't changed, he confirmed. His accessibility. He still has a publicly-listed home telephone number.

Wall is the first prominent state official to publicly confirm plans to take advantage of the one-time payment of up to $40,000, that Gov. Gina Raimondo has offered long-time state workers as an inducement to retire, as a deficit-cutting move.

As news of Wall's decision broke, Raimondo hailed him as "a treasure" who has, literally, "dedicated his life to public service."

"For nearly two decades as the director of corrections A.T. has been a model of professionalism and has earned the respect of his peers across the country," she said.

"A.T. is [also] directly responsible for efforts that have saved lives in Rhode Island," she said. "Under his direction, we're offering medication-assisted treatment for inmates at the ACI struggling with substance use disorder."

The governor announced plans to "launch a nation-wide search for a permanent director of corrections to identify a candidate with a similar level of experience, expertise and professionalism as Director Wall." After his departure, she said, Assistant Director Patricia Coyne-Fague will serve as acting director until the position is filled."

In a statement released by the governor's office, Wall said: "I am proud of what we have accomplished over the last 30 years. We have expanded, upgraded and improved our services, have invested in evidence-based programs which have helped reduce recidivism and have taken steps to fight the opioid overdose crisis."

A native Rhode Islander, Wall began his career in corrections in 1976 as a line probation officer.

After graduating from Yale University and Yale Law School, he served as a prosecutor in New York City before joining the Vera Institute of Justice. He returned to Rhode Island in 1985 to lead criminal justice policy in then-Gov. Edward DiPrete's policy office.

In 1987, he was appointed assistant director of corrections and was named director in 2000. In that role, he oversees all aspects of the state's adult correctional system: prisons, jails, probation, parole and home confinement.

"When I first became director," Wall said Tuesday, "we were coming out of an era in which organized crime played a significant role in the operation of our facilities, and that's nowhere to be found now. We have, I think, professionalized considerably, equipped our staff with the kinds of tools and resources that they need to manage an inmate population.

A 2009 Journal profile described Wall as "Yale-educated intellectual who found his passion in the despondent world of captivity."

"Occasionally Wall will get together with some of his Yale law school friends. "Most of them are making more money than I do. Most of them have jobs that might be traditionally more prestigious, but I'm the one they all want to talk to. I'm the one whose life is most exciting."

In retirement, Wall anticipates a trip to Portugal to visit his wife Maria's family. He also looks forward to the "relative freedom that comes with not being tethered to cellphones and radios and the other equipment that goes along with a career in corrections."

But "corrections is in my blood," so he says he is also open working on unspecified "projects" in the field.

With reports from Journal Staff Writer Tom Mooney.

-- kgregg@providencejournal.com

(401) 277-7078

On Twitter: @kathyprojo

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