McKee's pick for prison director failed to disclose out-of-state travel (2024)

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) — Gov. Dan McKee’s controversial pick to lead the state’s prison system made a flurry of amendments to his 2023 ethics filings on Wednesday, less than 24 hours after Target 12 started asking questions about his out-of-state travel.

Wayne Salisbury, who is currently acting director of the R.I. Department of Corrections, traveled to London last February to tour a prison there and attend meetings with the British Consulate, which paid for his trip.

As of Tuesday, however, the international journey wasn’t listed on the financial disclosure form that Salisbury and other top state officials must file with the R.I. Ethics Commission. State law requires all directors and elected officials to disclose out-of-state travel whenever third parties pay for costs exceeding $250.

A day after Target 12 sent the Department of Corrections a series of questions about the trip, along with Salisbury’s other travel since becoming interim director in January 2023, he filed an amended report with the Ethics Commission disclosing the London travel along with five other trips he took that were paid for by third parties.

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The trips included three Correctional Leaders Association meetings that year. One was held at the Ocean’s Edge Resort on Cape Cod. Another was at the Tommy Bahamas Resort in Indian Wells, California. The third was held in Washington, D.C.

Salisbury also traveled to Norfolk, Virginia, for a meeting of the Interstate Commission for Adult Supervision last September, according to his amended ethics filing. And he went to Atlanta, Georgia, for a national summit to “Advance States’ Criminal Justice Priorities.”

Each trip cost anywhere from $633 to $2,249, according to the amended filing. For the London trip, however, Salisbury listed the cost as “unknown.”

“It is in Rhode Island’s best interest for RIDOC’s leadership to maintain the department’s ongoing presence at these conferences and trainings with fellow directors and commissioners from around the country to understand, discuss, and bring best practices to the Rhode Island Department of Corrections,” prison spokesperson JR Ventura said in a statement.

Ventura said when Salisbury amended the filing he did not know the full cost of the trip, but the department has contacted the British Consulate for details.

“As soon as we receive the information, we will amend the filling to reflect that change,” Ventura said.

The travel listed on Salisbury’s ethics filing is just a portion of the total time the acting director has spent out of state since taking over the top job following the departure of his predecessor, Patricia Coyne-fa*gue, who took a job with Providence Mayor Brett Smiley.

Public records obtained by Target 12 show the acting director has taken 15 trips and spent nearly two months out of state since January 2023. About 37 of those dates fell on workdays, Ventura said. State-paid and personal travel don’t need to be disclosed on ethics filings.

“The director was able to advocate in person for funding for a variety of ongoing departmental initiatives such as modernizing its vehicle fleet and enhancing the programs offered through its correctional industries,” Ventura said, adding that the department is seeking national accreditation through the American Correctional Association.

But Salisbury’s failure to disclose who funded his travels didn’t sit well with John Marion, executive director of Common Cause Rhode Island, who attends most Ethics Commission meetings and monitors related issues surrounding public officials.

“It’s concerning that Interim Director Salisbury failed to report out-of-state work travel on his financial disclosure form until Target 12 began to ask questions,” Marion said in a statement.

“Professional development is important and state employees should take advantage of legitimate opportunities, but there is a point where it may be excessive, particularly for someone who runs a 24/7 facility like the ACI at a time when there have been a number of deaths of inmates,” he added.

‘Tested under fire’

The scrutiny over travel comes as Gov. Dan McKee is asking the R.I. Senate to confirm Salisbury as the permanent director of the prisons system.

However, the nomination has sparked intense criticism from the prison union, the Rhode Island Brotherhood of Correctional Officers, which has mounted a public campaign against Salisbury.

“Shame on the governor for putting his name before the General Assembly,” union president Richard Ferruccio told Target 12 on Thursday. “This used to be one of the better-run prison systems in the country. And in his short tenure you’ve seen a major uptick in violence.”

Salisbury declined Target 12’s request for an interview. But McKee has previously stood by his pick, saying last week he has no reservations about choosing Salisbury for the job.

“Wayne’s a good selection and we have been able to see him tested under fire over the last year-plus,” McKee said Friday. “It’s a tough job and we want to continue to work with our corrections officers. But Wayne is going to be a good executive director.”

As part of its efforts to derail the Salisbury nomination, the union has included his arrest in 2010 on charges of obtaining money under false pretenses; the charge was eventually dismissed in 2015. The union has also blamed Salisbury for creating unsafe conditions at the prison, underscoring that he was fired from his past job at the Central Falls Detention Facility Corp., which runs the Wyatt prison.

Ferruccio also criticized the time Salisbury has spent out of state since becoming interim director, saying he doesn’t think McKee properly vetted him for the job.

“I don’t think he has the judgment and I’m actually starting to think he doesn’t have the integrity to be the director of corrections,” Ferruccio said. “He has been a total trainwreck.”

The debate over Salisbury’s leadership also comes at the same time the prison system is facing policy changes tied to inmate discipline. The department is currently in mediation with inmates over a dispute regarding disciplinary confinement, which is when someone is segregated from others as a means of punishment.

Last month, Rhode Island U.S. Magistrate Patricia Sullivan ordered the prison to keep in place a 30-day cap on how long an inmate could be held in disciplinary confinement. The policy was put in place under Salisbury in July 2023.

Behind the scenes, Salisbury’s supporters argue the prison policy changes he has backed are motivating some of the criticism against him. Union members oppose those changes, citing a fear that too much leniency will make their jobs more challenging and less safe.

As of midday Thursday, the Senate had not yet scheduled a confirmation hearing for Salisbury, which will be required to make him permanent director. House Speaker Joe Shekarchi has indicated he hopes this year’s General Assembly session will wrap up by the end of next week.

“Hopefully the Senate does their job and asks interim Director Salisbury about these issues during the advice-and-consent process,” Marion said.

Tim White(twhite@wpri.com) is Target 12 managing editor and chief investigative reporter and host ofNewsmakersfor 12 News. Connect with him onTwitterandFacebook.