WITNESS
Dr. Reginald A. Wilkinson, Ed.D., has been the Director of the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction (DRC) since 1991. He has been employed with DRC since 1973 and has served in a variety of positions including Director of Training, Warden and Regional Director of Prisons.
Dr. Wilkinson is a Past President of both the Association of State Correctional Administrators and the American Correctional Association. Currently, he is the Vice Chair for North America of the International Corrections and Prisons Association and Chair of the National Institute of Corrections Advisory Board. Dr. Wilkinson is also the President and Executive Director of the International Association of Reentry.
Dr. Wilkinson has received many awards from organizations such as the National Governors' Association, the Volunteers of America, and the American Correctional Association and has had numerous journal articles and book chapters published on a variety of correctional topics. Dr. Wilkinson's academic background includes B.A. and M.A. degrees from The Ohio State University. He was awarded the Doctor of Education degree from the University of Cincinnati.
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STATEMENT
…why is it important to have a good correctional mental health treatment program? Beyond all the legal and practical reasons one might express, above all, it's the right thing to do!
For both security and health reasons, we need to know whether offenders are demonstrating purposeful negative behavior as opposed to those who are "acting out" because of their mental illness. Mental health professionals working closely with security professionals assist in this task.
Whether the prisoner has an acute psychiatric illness or a personality disorder, correctional staff should be concerned with preventing further deterioration. Suicide and suicide attempts are stark examples of the consequences of unknown or unattended deterioration. Accordingly, prevention and amelioration of mental health related problems, from an administrative and clinical perspective, are a conscious, ongoing mission.
Unfortunately, prisoners with a "weakness," either physical or mental, are at a disadvantage and are sometimes preyed upon by "stronger" inmates. There is, of course, a constitutional duty to protect vulnerable inmates, and the mentally ill and developmentally disabled often fall into this category.
Knowing inmates' physical and mental limitations allows staff to appropriately house, classify, assign jobs, and treat prisoners. Good mental health, then, includes screening and evaluations, which provide this crucial information.
As is the case with 97 percent of all prisoners, transition to the community is inevitable. For community health and safety reasons, operating a holistic mental health service delivery program for offenders is paramount.
From my perspective, it is clear that comprehensive mental health care for offenders yields positive results: offenders are better able to cope with the prison environment; releasees stand a better chance of not recidivating; staff feel safer as they perform their duties in calmer environments; and, fewer citizens are victimized, thereby improving public safety.
Excerpted from a written statement submitted to the Commission
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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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