January 25, 2019 -- Westchester County Executive George Latimer has announced the appointment of members to the Westchester County Correction Advisory Board. Latimer signed an Executive Order to create the Board, which will consist of nine members who have a background in criminal justice. The Board will consult with and provide advice to the Department of Correction to improve the programs and services available to inmates, as well as ways to reduce recidivism and enhance public safety.
Latimer said: “The Westchester County Department of Correction will benefit greatly by working together with the Correction Advisory Board, which will propose objectives for reducing prison rates, improving jail utilization and impacting repeat offenders. This Board will be able to oversee the growth of programs, policies and practices to help achieve those goals.”
Correction Commissioner Joseph K. Spano said: “It is a privilege for our Department to be part of this groundbreaking initiative, and this well-rounded group of board members who are sure to provide valuable insight that will support and expand our core agency rehabilitation objectives. On a national level, Westchester County is recognized as a leader in innovative inmate programming, which was recently confirmed by our receipt of an Obama Foundation ‘My Brother’s Keeper’ award. I am confident that working hand-in-hand with the Correction Advisory Board will foster further progress and enhance our ability to support returning citizens and their communities.”
Latimer has appointed six members of the Correction Advisory Board, and the Board of Legislators has appointed three. Latimer will designate one member to serve as Chairman of the Board. The Commissioner of the Westchester County Department of Correction will also serve as an ex officio member of the Board.
The Board Members are as follows:
Dr. Kimberly Collica-Cox, New City – Collica-Cox has 20 years of extensive experience in the Criminal Justice System, working closely with prison populations, the formerly incarcerated, correction officers and prison administrators. Collica-Cox received the Jefferson Award for Public Service for her Parenting, Prison and Pups program for female prisoners, currently offered at the Westchester County Department of Correction and Metropolitan Correctional Center.
Anthony Czarnecki, Cortlandt Manor – Czarnecki currently serves as CEO of The Chartwell Group USA, LLC, a criminal justice consulting firm specializing in professional training, association management, correctional planning and leadership development. Czarnecki was the Chief of Staff to the Commissioner of the Westchester County Department of Correction, helping to supervise the third-largest County-level correctional system in New York State.
J. Michael Hull, New Rochelle – Hull has worked in the Connecticut Judicial Department since 1987, serving as Adult Probation Supervisor since 2010. Hull is responsible for training and supervising all probation officers and paraprofessionals. Hull is also responsible for supervising communications between courts and probation, specializing in areas of trauma, criminal justice, domestic violence, addiction and child development.
Victor J. Clark, Yonkers – Clark is the Program Manager of the Mental Health Empowerment Project at the R.I.S.E. Center in Mount Vernon. The organization provides support for individuals identifying as having a mental wellness challenge, connecting them to social services and empowerment resources.
Ada Medina, Yonkers – Medina serves as Region Chief of the Legal Aid Society of Westchester, assisting a supervising group of attorneys with the largest felony caseload in Westchester County. Medina is responsible for training new attorneys, as well as reviewing and recommending litigation strategy on thousands of criminal felony cases.
Chrystalia King, White Plains – King is a General Practice Attorney, Arbitrator and Guardian Ad Litem. King has served in Westchester, Rockland, Bronx and New York Counties, advising clients about their legal rights and responsibilities in criminal, family, civil and business matters. King provides criminal defense services in the Westchester County courts as a member of the assigned counsel panel of Westchester County.
Rhea Mallett, Briarcliff Manor – Mallett is co-founder of Indivisible Rivertowns, a coalition created to promote both federal and state legislative reform. She served as Executive Director of the Commission to Combat Family Violence under New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani, and Director of the Women in Prison Project in the Correctional Association of New York, an activist group that promotes the needs of women in the criminal justice system.
Reverend Michael Gerald, Tuckahoe – Reverend Gerald is the Senior Pastor of the Shiloh Baptist Church in Tuckahoe, and a former Law Enforcement Executive. As a community activist, Reverend Gerald has addressed inequities in education and housing in Eastchester, as well as in Westchester County. He has held past memberships in the National Association of Constitutional Officers, and Constitutional Officer’s Association of New Jersey.
Dalphine Meadows, Yonkers – Meadows served as Supervision Probation Officer in the Criminal Court Division of the Westchester County Department of Probation for 31 years. Meadows was responsible for a caseload of 800 high-risk offenders who were sentenced to probation, including assessing and screening for substance abuse, mental health and developmental disabilities. Meadows served as liaison to local and Supreme Court judges, district attorneys and correctional institutions, counseling offenders in crisis intervention and personal motivation.