Next Brown Bag talk to explore healthcare in U.S. jails

Department of Sociocultural and Justice Sciences Lecturer Patrick Johnson will present “A Discussion on the Healthcare System in America’s Jails” at SUNY Fredonia’s next Brown Bag Lecture on Wednesday, April 7, from noon to 1 p.m.

A Fredonia graduate, Mr. Johnson is a retired warden at the Chautauqua County Jail and has served as a longtime expert analyst for CNN’s “Newsroom,” beginning in 1985 with the elaborate escape of two convicted murderers from the Clinton Correctional Facility in Dannemora. Johnson received a B.S. in Business Administration in 1985.

In opening remarks, Johnson will give an overview of the Constitutional requirements that local jails provide healthcare to inmates and then lead a discussion that includes local, state and national standards and hardships jails face trying to meet these standards on limited budgets and the games inmates play to manipulate “the system.” A question and answer session will conclude the program.

Johnson worked 31 years at the county jail, including seven as the warden. He was responsible for all custody, security and safety for the orderly operation of the jail, and to provide programs and treatment programs to meet the individual needs of inmates. He developed and ran the Chautauqua County Reentry Task Force until his retirement in 2013.

Additionally, Johnson worked with the National Institute of Corrections on different projects and co-wrote the “Employer-Driven Employment Model for Justice-Involved Individuals.” He conducted six of the institute’s Offender Workforce Development Specialist Training programs in western New York and one at the Federal Correctional Institution in McKean, Pa., and also wrote many training lesson plans for the New York State Commission of Correction and the Department of Criminal Justice Services.

Johnson currently serves as interim chair of the Chautauqua County Community Justice Council.

Opening remarks at the lecture will be given by Department of Sociocultural and Justice Sciences Assistant Professor Michael Aiello.

The Brown Bag talk is free and can be viewed online.

The theme of the year’s Brown Bag series, sponsored by the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, is “The Health of the Nation.” The series offers monthly, informal talks by Fredonia faculty members and guest speakers. A brief discussion follows each presentation.

The series acknowledges the support of the Dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences Andy Karafa and also thanks the Carnahan Jackson Fund for the Humanities of the Fredonia College Foundation for additional financial support.