Correctional Expert - Jail and Prison Practices

Specialties & Experience of this Expert Witness

Additional Information

As a former corrections officer, the author of the Oregon State Sheriff's Association Jail Standards, a frequent national presenter on correctional issues, a former criminal justice professor, a former instructor at the Oregon basic corrections and police academies, an attorney who has handled corrections cases for over twenty years and the General Counsel to the Oregon State Sheriff's Association I have a very broad base of knowledge on correctional issues. If you need an expert on corrections policies, administration, practices, supervision, use of force, restraints, failure to protect, conditions of confinement, religious rights, inmate discipline, contractor oversight or compliance with standards please give me a call. I began my corrections career in 1990 as a corrections officer at the maximum-security Oregon State Penitentiary, including spending a year working in the Disciplinary Segregation/Death Row unit. For many years, I was a faculty member of the Americans for Effective Law Enforcement, and I am a faculty member at the Institute for the Prevention of In Custody Deaths. I serve as the General Counsel for the Oregon State Sheriff’s Association (OSSA), where I advise on statewide issues that impact Sheriff’s Offices. I also teach regularly for OSSA, including use of force, corrections legal updates, and OSSA’s New Jail Commander Training and annual Command College. I have been the legal advisor and primary author responsible for updating the OSSA Jail Standards for many years. I taught at the Oregon Department of Public Safety Standards and Training in both the corrections and police basic academies for several years. I have a private company, ELSI Legal LLC, and I provide correctional training to agencies in several states. I also perform expert witness services for both plaintiffs and defense of correctional cases. I have experience litigating in both state and federal courts on a wide variety of issues including corrections litigation and use of force cases. I am admitted to practice in all Oregon courts, the U.S. District Court for Oregon, the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals, and the U.S. Supreme Court.