Information Center: Will you give a brief background of your career leading up to this position as NIC's Chief of Prisons Division? What attracted you to NIC?

Mr. Taylor: My previous experience includes over 26 years with the State of Alaska, beginning in 1990 as an Adult Probation Officer with the Department of Health and Social Services.   I was subsequently promoted to Program Manager, responsible for the statewide direction and supervision of adult misdemeanor probation, juvenile monitoring, tobacco enforcement, therapeutic court community supervision and substance abuse program certification.

I joined the Alaska Department of Corrections in 2008, as the Executive Director of the Alaska Board of Parole, and received several promotions within agency - Director of Probation & Parole, Deputy Commissioner of Reentry & Population Management and, ultimately, the Commissioner of the department.

I became attracted to NIC, after attending the Correctional Leadership Development and Executive Excellence trainings.  These professional development training programs allowed me to gain a greater understanding of the leadership challenges and experiences involved in the corrections’ field.  Additionally, I was provided with incredible opportunities to network with leaders in the field, so that I would become equipped to effectively respond to critical issues and emerging trends.

I began my career as the Chief of the Prisons Division at NIC in July 2016.  In this position, I am responsible for the management and supervision of the Prisons Division, which includes the following:  program planning and policy development, cooperative agreement and contract administration, personnel and fiscal management operations, technological utilization and program evaluation, creating and maintaining professional contacts with federal, state, and local agencies and organization, and establishing a positive rapport with the media and the public.

Information Center: What is your vision for the Prison Division and how does it fit with the Institute’s mission?  Where do you see NIC five years from now and do you see your division’s role changing over those five years?

Mr. Taylor: I believe that prisons have a very complex and major role in our correctional system.  While many practitioners in our field believe that reentry occurs the moment a justice- involved person enters one of our facilities, the underlying truth is that our polices, practices, programs and overall operations must be better aligned with our criminal justice partners to ensure that our reintegration efforts are really effective.  This is where I believe that NIC can make some substantial gains in the next 5 years by improving our collaboration with our criminal justice stakeholders and reentry partners to reduce recidivism, as well as decrease our prison populations throughout the country. I see the Prisons Divisions playing a pivotal role with this transition, as we continue to provide training, technical assistance and quality programming to the field.

Information Center: Mass incarceration, racial disparity in the prison population, and restrictive housing are big topics in the press today. Please share your thoughts on those issues. What can NIC do to address these?

Mr. Taylor: I certainly agree with you that mass incarceration, racial disparity, and restrictive housing continue to be highly publicized issues for corrections.  I would also add mental health, substance abuse, and medical to the growing list critical issues that NIC must continue to take the lead in providing training and technical assistance to ensure federal, state, local, and tribal agencies have the knowledge of effective practices and the tools to responsibly deal with these issues. 

For example, NIC offers a 40-hour Managing Restrictive Housing Training Program to those agencies with prisons, and we will soon be expanding this training to jails.  The program includes:  a brief history of restrictive housing; issues related to the use of restrictive housing; constitutional amendments, court decisions, consent decrees, and other cases; management strategies for restrictive housing; the importance of mission, vision, and values; prison culture and climate; staffing; functional analysis; and behavior management plans.  

Most importantly, the program offers participants an opportunity to increase knowledge around restrictive housing by sharing best and promising practices with peers, and develop an understanding of the restrictive housing “Guiding Principles” issued by the DOJ in the report "Department of Justice Report and Recommendations Concerning the Use of Restrictive Housing.” 

Additionally, we recognize that the number of justice –involved persons suffering from mental illnesses continues to be a serious management and safety problem for both prisons and jails.  Providing frontline staff with the needed skills and competencies to handle potentially dangerous individuals experiencing crisis situations and managing the mentally ill in prison has become a necessity for most agencies.  We are offering a 40-hour scenario-based training to agencies to help reduce crisis situations, improve safety and promote better outcomes for persons with mental illness.  

Information Center: How can NIC support innovation in the field of corrections?  Any examples of this happening in the past or today.

Mr. Taylor: One of the ways in which NIC can continue to shape and advance effective correctional practices is to model the collaboration and innovation among our various divisions.  This allows us to identify data needs, gaps in services and better align our resources, so that we can continue to meet the growing needs of the field. ♦