Subcommittee advances governor’s nominee Jake Gaston Jr. to lead Department of Probation, Parole and Pardon Services

The Corrections and Criminology Subcommittee advanced the governor’s nominee, Jake Gaston Jr., to the full Senate after a screening in which senators heard about his multi-decade corrections career and plans to strengthen reentry services.

Jake Gaston Jr., nominee for director of the Department of Probation, Parole and Pardon Services, told the subcommittee he has worked in corrections since 1984 in Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Virginia, and has held positions including warden (also called superintendent) and deputy director of operations. He said his work has emphasized reentry and cognitive-behavioral programs and that he wants the probation and parole agency to be involved with individuals before and after they leave incarceration to “close the gaps” that exist in the first six months after release.

The nomination hearing focused on Gaston’s background, his approach to reentry and agency coordination. Gaston told senators he has training in the psychology of change, described an assessment program the Department of Corrections uses to identify criminogenic needs upon entry, and said he supports peer mentoring and greater family engagement for people returning to the community. “It’s how you think that causes your actions,” Gaston said, describing the cognitive-behavioral emphasis the agencies use in programming.

Senators asked about operational details. Gaston estimated the Department of Corrections employs about 3,000 people and described the probation, parole and pardon agency as having about 800 employees. He said probation and parole agents receive training through the criminal justice academy and that probation/parole agents in the community are “like any traditional law enforcement in the community,” while corrections officers’ authority ends at the facility fence line. On expected response time when community members report parolee misconduct, Gaston said he would expect agents to respond “within a 24 hour turnaround,” but added the response would depend on severity.

Gaston also addressed organizational structure and information sharing. He said some states allow broader information exchange across criminal justice entities through statute and that, where information is limited, it can hamper accurate risk assessments. Asked about merging the two agencies, Gaston said he has worked in both unified and separate systems and would likely support merging, noting the primary issue is communication and coordination regardless of organizational lines.

Senators also noted endorsements. Senator Lieber said Department of Corrections Director Brian Sterling endorses the nominee, which Senator Lieber said carried weight in his support. After questions and a brief discussion, a senator moved a favorable report; the motion was seconded and approved by voice vote, and the subcommittee said it would forward Gaston’s nomination to the full committee.

The subcommittee’s action forwards the nomination for further consideration; no formal committee vote tally by name was recorded in the hearing.