WILMINGTON, Del. – Governor John Carney on Tuesday announced he intends to nominate Terra Taylor to serve as Commissioner of the Delaware Department of Correction (DOC).

Taylor’s nomination must be approved by the Delaware State Senate.

“Terra’s years of experience within the Department of Correction— starting from her time as a Probation Officer to Chief of Community Corrections to Deputy Commissioner to Acting Commissioner—make her a strong leader for DOC,” said Governor Carney. “I’d like to thank Terra for stepping into this role, and I’m confident she will continue the important work underway at DOC. I look forward to the Delaware Senate considering her nomination.”

Taylor has served as Acting Commissioner since July 2023 and was previously the Deputy Commissioner of DOC. As Deputy Commissioner, Taylor held the Department’s second-highest position with responsibilities for supervising the Department’s four Bureaus and setting direction through policy development, strategic planning, and decision making.

Taylor, who initially joined DOC in 1997, previously served as Chief of Community Corrections and led the bureau that oversees Probation and Parole, pretrial services, the community work release program, electronic monitoring and other supervision programs for more than 10,000 individuals statewide who are housed in Work Release and Violation of Probation facilities or are serving probationary sentences or court-ordered pretrial supervision in the community. The Bureau of Community Corrections has also played an active role in implementing innovative crime reduction initiatives, including the Group Violence Intervention (GVI) Projects in the City of Wilmington and Kent County.

WILMINGTON, DE –  Governor John Carney on Thursday announced that Commissioner Monroe Hudson will step down later this month from his current role as the head of the Delaware Department of Correction (DOC) after more than thirty five years of service in law enforcement and corrections. Terra Taylor, Deputy Commissioner of the DOC, will serve as Acting Commissioner until a permanent replacement is nominated by the Governor and confirmed by the Delaware Senate.

“Monroe is a dedicated leader with more than three decades of distinguished service to our state —beginning and now concluding his law enforcement career as the Commissioner of Correction,” said Governor Carney. “I’ve had the honor of working with Monroe throughout his thirty-one years at the Delaware State Police and with the Department of Correction. I’d like to congratulate and thank Monroe for his tireless commitment to making Delaware a safer and stronger place. 

“I also want to thank Terra for her willingness to step into this role. I am confident her years of experience within the Department of Correction — from her time as a Probation Officer to Chief of Community Corrections to Deputy Commissioner — will make her a strong leader for the Department.”

Prior to his Senate confirmation as DOC Commissioner in 2021, Hudson served as Deputy Commissioner for two years. Previously, he served for thirty-one years in the Delaware State Police, rising to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel and serving as deputy superintendent of Delaware’s largest police agency. He was also named Trooper of the Year in 2001. 

As Commissioner, Hudson outlined five key priorities to advance the department’s dual mission of public safety and offender rehabilitation: recruitment and retention; safety, security, and employee wellness; expanding community outreach and stakeholder engagement; offender vocational training; and leveraging new technology to make operations more efficient and improve the ability to make critical data-driven decisions.

As Deputy Commissioner, Taylor held the Department’s second-highest position with responsibilities for supervising the Department’s four Bureaus and setting direction through policy development, strategic planning, and decision making. Taylor, who initially joined DOC in 1997, previously served as Chief of Community Corrections and led the bureau that oversees Probation and Parole, pretrial services, the community work release program, electronic monitoring and other supervision programs for more than 10,000 individuals statewide who are housed in Work Release and Violation of Probation facilities or are serving probationary sentences or court-ordered pretrial supervision in the community. The Bureau of Community Corrections has also played an active role in implementing innovative crime reduction initiatives, including the Group Violence Intervention (GVI) Projects in the City of Wilmington and Kent County.

Register online at https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_5tCSTHX4QLmo1JoCQ3rozA

Dover, DE – On Tuesday, April 26 at 1:00 p.m. the Delaware Department of Correction invites you to join its next “DOC Insider Series” webinar with a focus on Cognitive Behavioral Therapy.  The DOC Insider Series provides members of the public with an inside the walls look at Delaware’s correctional programs, practices, and policies.  Each 90-minute webinar includes a live informational presentation by DOC staff and partner organizations followed by an interactive question and answer session with attendees.

The April 26 Insider Series webinar focuses on what Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is, how it works, and a review of the types of CBT programming that are offered to incarcerated persons.  The DOC Insider Series Webinar: “Cognitive Behavioral Therapy” is facilitated by the Department of Correction Office of Planning, Research and Reentry and is presented by Michael Records, Bureau Chief of DOC’s Bureau of Healthcare, Substance Abuse, and Mental Health (BHSAMH), Vanessa Bennifield, BHSAMH Behavioral Health Treatment Services Director, and Bradley Owens, JD, Senior Consultant.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy is employed by the Delaware DOC in its prison facilities and community corrections centers and by Probation and Parole and has been shown across the country to reduce recidivism in both juveniles and adults.  In practice CBT helps participants become conscious of their own thoughts and behaviors and then make positive changes to impact their decision-making.  CBT programs address a variety of problems associated with criminal behavior and works to help participants develop and improve critical reasoning, problem solving, moral reasoning, social skills, self-control, and impulse management.

“The Delaware Department of Correction is committed to engaging with the community about how our correctional system operates and provides treatment, programming and training to meet our dual mission of public safety and offender rehabilitation,” Department of Correction Commissioner Monroe B. Hudson Jr. said.  “Please join us and get an insider’s perspective on how DOC’s Cognitive Behavioral Therapy programs support reentry by addressing some of the root causes of criminal behavior.”

DOC Insider Series Webinar: Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
Tuesday, April 26, 2022
1:00 – 2:30 p.m.
Register in advance at https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_5tCSTHX4QLmo1JoCQ3rozA
Webinar Presenters:
Michael Records, Bureau Chief of the Bureau of Healthcare, Substance Abuse, and Mental Health
Vanessa Bennifield, Behavioral Health Treatment Services Director, Bureau of Healthcare, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services
Bradley Owens, JD, Senior Consultant

Previous Insider Series webinars have focused on prison education, Substance Use Disorder treatment, reentry, sentence calculation and release dates, Probation and Parole, and inmate intake and classification.  All Insider Series webinars are posted on the DOC’s YouTube channel for viewing anytime:

• Prison Education: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L4EoiuBZyw0
• Sentence Calculation and Release Dates: https://youtu.be/_mHS_pRIZlk.
• Intake to Classification: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0LM9PMlsi50
• Probation and Parole: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dmFNAfj0UI4
• Substance Use Disorder Treatment: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PugdaTfYKNE
• Reentry: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fhrACbEoLDk

Additional Insider Series webinars are planned for 2022. Follow DOC’s Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn social media channels for upcoming dates and registration details.

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DOVER – Delaware’s five public housing authorities (PHAs), the Delaware Department of Correction (DOC) and the Delaware Center for Justice (DCJ) today launched the Delaware Family Reentry Pilot (FRP) Program, a statewide initiative to give individuals recently released from incarceration the opportunity to access safe and stable housing by reuniting with their families who live in public housing. It represents the latest statewide initiative to advance Governor John Carney’s effort to support reentry success and reduce Delaware’s recidivism rate through Executive Order 27.

“Giving individuals who are returning to their community the opportunity to live with family members can provide the strong support they need in the right environment to chart a new positive path,” said Department of Correction Commissioner Claire DeMatteis. “Delaware’s Family Reentry Pilot Program applies best practices from New York and other places which have demonstrated that programs like this can work effectively while supporting community safety.”

The Family Reentry Pilot represents a year-long collaboration between DOC, DCJ, and Delaware’s five PHAs – which include the Delaware State Housing Authority (DSHA), Dover Housing Authority, Wilmington Housing Authority, New Castle County Housing Authority, and Newark Housing Authority – to consider and implement a recommendation by the Vera Institute of Justice. The Institute worked with Delaware’s PHAs in 2018 and 2019 to identify opportunities to increase access to public housing for people with conviction histories. Delaware’s five PHAs applied together for its assistance through a competitive nationwide process and were one of only four groups selected by the Institute and the only statewide group to be selected.

“This program would not have been possible without the support of the Vera Institute, and we are grateful for the assistance they provided,” said DSHA Director Anas Ben Addi. “Finding safe, affordable housing can be a challenge for individuals involved in the criminal justice system, and we know many of them are struggling even more during the COVID-19 crisis. This program is a collaborative effort to help those individuals succeed in their communities.”

Individuals who are eligible for the FRP program must:

• have been released from incarceration within the past three years or have been living in the community for up to three years after being convicted of an offense which would ordinarily prohibit them from residing in public housing;
• be currently under DOC community supervision;
• have a close family member who currently lives in public housing through one of the five Delaware PHAs. Close family members include a parent, sibling, child, grandparent, grandchild, spouse or domestic partner.

“Wilmington Housing Authority is honored to be part of this initiative with the other public housing authorities, DOC and DCJ,” said Executive Director John Hill. “Without safe housing and the support of close family, we know many of the individuals in our city who are returning to the community after incarceration are more likely to reoffend and recidivate. The Family Reentry Pilot program gives those individuals an opportunity to live with family members who will support them and provide the safe shelter they need to be productive returning citizens.”

“This is an excellent example of how state, county, and local organizations can collaborate on an important issue. New Castle County, including our New Castle County Police Department, has supported this initiative from the start, and we are proud to see it coming to fruition,” said County Executive Matt Meyer. “This program will provide residents in our county with safe housing in a supportive environment – something that is as crucial as ever with the ongoing COVID-19 crisis. We want all of our residents to succeed and this is a step in the right direction to give those who have been involved in the criminal justice system an opportunity to thrive.”

The application and review process consists of three steps:

• DOC staff, including Correctional Counselors, Probation Officers and In-reach Coordinators, identify eligible applicants and assist them with completing a program application.
• Applications are submitted to the DCJ for referral to the appropriate PHA.
• The PHA carefully reviews each application, conducts a standard assessment of the applicant’s conviction history, and interviews the family residing in PHA-assisted housing to assess the family’s readiness to welcome the FRP applicant into their household.

Approved participants will be permitted to live as temporary guests in the designated household for a period of one or two years, depending on their conviction history. Participants who successfully complete the temporary period while remaining in compliance with program guidelines may be officially added to the household’s PHA lease.

All FRP program participants and their host family members will be required to sign a contract binding them to strict guidelines at all times. If a guideline is violated, or if the participant commits a new offense during their participation in the program, he or she will be expelled from the FRP and be required to vacate the residence.

DCJ will oversee FRP referrals and make services available to qualified FRP participants to support their reentry success. These services will help minimize barriers by connecting participants to resources in order to address their immediate needs, foster self-sufficiency, and meet their goals. Qualifying participants who are actively under community supervision may engage in comprehensive intensive case management to assist with transportation, educational goals, securing permanent housing, obtaining employment, accessing basic needs (food, clothing, identification, etc.), building job readiness skills, accessing behavioral health services, and other services as needed.

“DCJ is excited to be a part of the Family Reentry Pilot Program with the housing authorities and our long-term partner, DOC,” said Executive Director David Bever. “We understand that family support and stable housing is a crucial component of successful reentry that promotes stability and increased connections to supportive networks to aid in assisting individuals from re-offending. Individuals being released from prison deserve to have the support they need to become empowered and reach their goals. We look forward to this collaboration as this program is assisting in breaking down barriers and allowing individuals to be reunited with their family members and recreate those bonds needed for prosocial, healthy relationships.”

Initially, the pilot is being offered in properties that are owned and operated by public housing authorities. Early next year, the pilot will expand to Housing Choice Voucher holders. PHAs will begin outreach to landlords who accept Housing Choice Vouchers in the coming months and participation in the FRP program will be voluntary for Housing Choicer Voucher landlords.

DeMatteis has helped lead reform efforts at Department of Correction

WILMINGTON, Del. – Governor John Carney on Tuesday announced his intention to nominate Claire DeMatteis – a former senior counsel to then-U.S. Senator Joe Biden – as the next Commissioner of the Delaware Department of Correction.

The nomination will require approval by the Delaware Senate. DeMatteis would replace Commissioner Perry Phelps, who will retire on July 15. DeMatteis would be the first female Commissioner of the Delaware Department of Correction.

“For much of the last two years, Claire has worked side-by-side with Commissioner Phelps to lead reform efforts at the Department of Correction – to make our facilities safer, to invest in new equipment and training, and to recruit correctional officers to do one of the toughest jobs in state government,” said Governor Carney. “Over three decades of experience in government and the private sector, Claire has worked closely with community leaders, legislators and law enforcement officials and has earned their respect and trust. I have full confidence that Claire’s experience and leadership qualities will serve our state well at the Department of Correction. I look forward to the Senate considering her nomination.”

In June 2017, Governor Carney appointed DeMatteis to serve as his Special Assistant at the Department of Correction. In that role, DeMatteis worked alongside Commissioner Phelps, and led implementation of Governor Carney’s plan following the Independent Review into the events of February 1, 2017 at James T. Vaughn Correctional Center.

Governor Carney’s plan included a 22 percent increase in starting pay for correctional officers; significant investments in new technology, equipment and training; the creation of a Labor-Management Committee to more effectively recruit officers and decrease mandatory overtime; and renewed efforts to help inmates successfully re-enter their communities.

Currently, DeMatteis is serving as Special Assistant coordinating comprehensive re-entry initiatives across six state agencies, including the Departments of Correction, Education, Labor, and Health and Social Services.

“If confirmed by the State Senate, I look forward to working with the women and men of the Delaware Department of Correction to continue to strengthen safety and security, officer recruitment and retention, and programming and services for inmates, as well as implement a coordinated path of services from an offender’s entry into prison through release back into our communities,” said DeMatteis. “It would be an honor to lead the state’s largest law enforcement agency of dedicated correctional officers and probation and parole officers.”

The Delaware Senate is expected to consider Governor Carney’s nomination of DeMatteis this month.

From 2008-2016, DeMatteis served as General Counsel, Chief Compliance Officer and Chief Privacy Officer of two multi-billion dollar corporations. Previously, DeMatteis spent four years at Stradley, Ronon, Stevens & Young, a Mid-Atlantic law firm with offices in Wilmington. She was partner in charge of the firm’s Delaware office from 2007-2008.

During her decade working as senior counsel for then-Senator Biden, from 1994-2004, DeMatteis served as a member of a senior team on issues involving law enforcement, women’s rights, civil rights and constitutional matters. She helped guide campaign strategy, managed constituent communications and drafted legislation.

Most recently, DeMatteis served in a senior role at the Delaware Department of Labor, where she helped navigate a resolution to the recent data breach at the department, keeping the media, public and legislators well informed on the state’s response and structural reforms to prevent future breaches. DeMatteis began her career working in the Delaware State Senate from 1984-1987 as a Page and Calendar Clerk. She has served state elected officials from both parties, including as legal assistant to then-Governor Mike Castle.

DeMatteis earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Delaware, and holds a law degree from Widener University Delaware Law School.

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