The union representing the state prison system’s correctional officers expressed outrage Friday over Gov. Dan McKee’s nomination of Wayne Salisbury, Jr. to continue leading the Rhode Island Department of Corrections on a permanent basis.

“I believe strongly this is the wrong guy — we should have done a national search for the best candidate,” Richard Ferruccio, president of Rhode Island Brotherhood of Correctional Officers, said in an interview Friday afternoon.

On Thursday, Ferruccio sent a letter to McKee expressing officers’ concerns that RIDOC “has ceded its stature as one of the nation’s best correctional departments” because of acting leadership. 

McKee announced that he had picked Salisbury to lead the department Friday morning, drawing praise from one prison reform advocacy group

“Wayne’s experience in the Department of Corrections is extensive, and he has played an important role in day-to-day operations and long-term, strategic planning for the department,” McKee said in a statement Friday. “I look forward to continuing to work with Director Salisbury to maintain high professional standards at the DOC and ensure a safe environment across all correctional facilities in Rhode Island.” 

Salisbury, whose annual base salary is $174,593, has served as acting director of the department since January 2023 following the departure of Patricia Coyne-Fague, who stepped down to lead the city of Providence’s Department of Public Works. He was hired at RIDOC in 2016 as deputy warden and was named deputy director in November 2020, according to his resume. He served as acting warden from March 2017 to February 2018.

Salisbury was also the warden at the privately-run Wyatt Detention Center in Central Falls from 2004 to 2010.

Under Salisbury’s leadership, Ferruccio claimed assaults on officers and fights among inmates have “nearly doubled.” His letter also cited concerns about an alleged increase in drug trafficking and inmates having “uncontrolled access to technology” supposedly used to coordinate gang fights.

“The Brotherhood has raised these safety concerns repeatedly with the acting leadership and have been repeatedly met with silence,” Ferruccio wrote. 

DOC Spokesperson J.R. Ventura on Friday declined to comment on the claims made in Ferruccio’s letter. He only said that inmates use tablets “for educational purposes” at the Adult Correctional Institutions (ACI).

“They are secure, they are closed circuit, and they are monitored,” he said.

Salisbury thanked McKee for nominating him in a statement.

“I’m honored to have led the Rhode Island Department of Corrections over the last sixteen months, as we have faced operational challenges in areas such as staffing, recruitment, restrictive housing, and recidivism reduction to name a few,” Salisbury said. “ I am grateful for the governor’s nomination and pledge my continuous commitment to provide a safe and secure environment for all while offering rehabilitative and vocational opportunities for those returning to our communities.”

Different versions of events

Ferruccio told Rhode Island Current Friday afternoon the letter was drafted after a trio of incidents at the various prison facilities Wednesday. Ferruccio claimed there was a “six-man gang fight” at the medium-security facility that led to a lockdown, a cache of about 11 weapons were discovered at the maximum security building, and a different fight happened at the intake center.

Ventura confirmed that incidents did occur Wednesday, but were not as Ferruccio alleged. The fight at the medium-security prison was initially between two inmates and briefly joined by four others, but Ventura said it was quickly stopped by correctional officers. 

As for the cache of weapons, Ventura said it was just a crate of razors dropped by an inmate cell. Those were confiscated and that person was punished. At the intake center, he said that two people shoved each other following an argument. An officer intervened and the two were restrained.

“A lot of this stuff is blown out of proportion,” Ventura said. “This was literally nothing that can be considered out of the ordinary here.”

Nomination draws praise from advocacy group

Stop Torture R.I. Coalition campaign manager Brandon Robinson, a former ACI inmate who had been placed in restrictive housing, said Salisbury’s nomination was “actually good news to hear.”

‘He’s not afraid to bring much-needed change to the DOC,” Robinson said in an interview. 

The biggest positive, he said, was the department’s decision last year to limit disciplinary confinement to a maximum of 30 days. The move came as part of arbitration in the case of Richard Lee Paiva v. Rhode Island Department of Corrections, which was originally filed on Feb. 24, 2017.

Prior to the policy change, prisoners could be held in restrictive housing —the term RIDOC uses for solitary confinement — for 31 days to a year on a single offense.

“Even though it was through a federal court order, it took guts to keep up those policies — especially with the resistance of correctional staff,” Robinson said.

Ferruccio blamed the policy change for creating the unsafe conditions alleged in his letter to McKee.

The discipline process has become a total joke to the inmates,” he told Rhode Island Current. 

Though the use of restrictive housing has been limited, Robinson said he still would like to see the policy codified by the state. Robinson added RIDOC also needs to reduce the number of inmate deaths and continue to introduce programs that can set people up for life after prison. 

“The focus needs to be on rehabilitation,” he said. 

Salisbury’s nomination now heads to the Rhode Island Senate for consideration. No hearing has been scheduled as of late Friday afternoon.