MADISON – Department of Corrections (DOC) Secretary Rick Raemisch
today announced that Patrick Melman, Superintendent of the Sanger B.
Powers Correctional Center (SPCC) in Oneida, has been named the new
Superintendent of the Drug Abuse Correctional Center (DACC) in Winnebago
County.
“The Drug Abuse Correctional Center has been a leader in our agency’s
efforts to address the extensive need for alcohol and drug treatment
among our prison population, and Patrick Melman brings the right
combination of talent, experience and leadership to the facility’s
helm,” Secretary Raemisch said. “During his prior tenure at the
facility, Patrick was a member of the creative team that developed the
Earned Release Program, which began at DACC and today is a cornerstone
of the alcohol and drug treatment programming throughout our system.”
DACC, located in the town of Winnebago near Oshkosh, is a
minimum-security facility with a capacity of 280 male inmates and one of
13 facilities that comprise the Wisconsin Correctional Center System (WCCS).
The Earned Release Program is an intensive, six-month program of alcohol
and drug abuse treatment that began at DACC in 2004 under the leadership
of Governor Jim Doyle and through the bipartisan support of the state
Legislature. The program provides judges with an alternative sentencing
option for non-violent offenders. Upon successful completion of the
Earned Release Program, the sentencing court converts the remainder of
the confinement portion of their sentence to community supervision. The
success of the program at DACC has led to the expansion of the program
by almost three-fold in the 2007-09 budget, with program slots being set
up at other prison locations.
“We know that effective treatment improves the chances that an
offender will be successful upon their return to the community, which
lowers recidivism and advances public safety at the same time,”
Secretary Raemisch said. “DACC, under the leadership of Patrick Melman,
will continue to play an important role in the broad spectrum of alcohol
and drug treatment programming that is available for offenders in our
prisons and in the community.”
Melman has been SPCC’s Superintendent since 2006, and before that was
a Supervising Officer 2 at DACC since 2000. He began his DOC career in
1991 as a Correctional Officer and advanced through the ranks of
Sergeant and Supervising Officers I and II at a variety of maximum,
medium and minimum-security adult facilities. Within the DOC, Melman is
a Principles of Subject Control Instructor, a trainer to implement the
federal Prison Rape Elimination Act, and a chemical agent trainer for
the Wisconsin Correctional Center System (WCCS). Melman earned a
bachelor’s degree in interdisciplinary studies from the University of
Wisconsin-Green Bay.
Melman succeeds current Superintendent Sheri Graeber, who is retiring
after 28 years of state service. Melman’s new appointment takes effect
June 8, 2008. The search will begin soon for a new Superintendent at
SPCC.
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