MAUREEN BAIRD

I currently work as a Corrections Consultant, specializing in the area of Federal Corrections. I have provided Expert Witness testimony in United States District Courts at Sentencing Hearings for defendants who are facing a sentence of incarceration in the Federal System. Additionally, I have testified as an Expert at several hearings in the District of Columbia, for clients who have filed motions seeking relief under the Incarceration Reduction Amendment Act (IRAA).  As an independent Consultant I provide consulting services on all aspects of the Federal Prison System for private attorneys, Federal Defenders' Offices, and individuals and family members of those facing a possible federal prison sentence or those who have already been sentenced/incarcerated. I have prepared numerous Declarations for Attorneys within the U.S., and for Barristers/Solicitors in the United Kingdom, Australia, and Estonia, working on extradition cases. I have provided Expert Testimony at Extradition Hearings in the Westminster Magistrates’ Court in the UK regarding conditions of confinement in the Bureau of Prisons. My career in Adult Male/Female Corrections spanned 28 years with the Bureau of Prisons in various capacities, with my final positions as Warden and Senior Executive Service Warden at three Federal Prisons that encompassed a variety of missions and programs. I am an experienced Executive in Correctional Management with a demonstrated history of working in the law enforcement industry.  

My experience in Federal Corrections began in 1989 as a case manager with the Department of Justice, Federal Bureau of Prisons. Throughout my 28 years with the Agency, I continued to acquire positions of increasing responsibility. In 2009, I was appointed to the position of Warden at the Federal Correctional Institution, Danbury, Connecticut, and was later promoted to Warden at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in New York City. There, I was appointed to Senior Executive Staff by the United States Attorney General and within two years, I was transferred to a position of greater responsibility as the Warden of the United States Penitentiary in Marion, Illinois. As warden, I was responsible for the leadership and direction of 300 to 350 staff members and approximately 1200 to 1500 inmates. During my tenure as warden for seven years, I was responsible for staff development and various specialized inmate housing units, including a high security management unit which mainly housed international terrorists who were assigned maximum custody. I led staff through a mission change at the Federal Prison in Danbury, where we had housed female offenders for several years and then transitioned to male offenders in 2013.  I was also a member of the Joint Terrorist Task Force, and a member of various other federal, state, and local groups.  I was very active with joint training that involved local, state, and federal law enforcement entities. For the last several years of my BOP career, I held Top Secret Clearance, only issued to a small percentage of Wardens and Executive Staff. 

Warden 

Dec 2015 - Oct 2016 

United States Penitentiary - Marion, IL 

• Was CEO of an institution which housed 1500 medium/high security male offenders 
• Supervised 350 staff members and a 40-million-dollar budget 
• Oversaw the institution and staffing, inmate programs, institution security, staff training, staff and inmate investigations and discipline, policy and procedural changes, community relations, regular training on emergency preparedness 
• Provided training to all institution staff during an annual refresher training for six to eight weeks 
• Provided training to new hires regarding procedures, rules, and regulations, ethics, and code of conduct requirements and both basic and advanced correctional duties 

Warden  

Jun 2014 - Dec 2015 

Metropolitan Correctional Center - New York City, NY 

• Was CEO of a pre-trial federal prison which employed 350 staff and housed 700 all security level, pre-trial inmates and 150 low security sentenced offenders 
• Performed all duties indicated above as warden at USP Marion, Illinois 

Warden 

Oct 2009 - Jun 2014 

Federal Correctional Institution - Danbury, CT 

• Was CEO of an institution which employed 250 staff and housed 1200 female offenders 
• Performed all duties indicated above as warden at USP Marion, Illinois, with an added emphasis on training geared toward female offenders 

Correctional Institution Administrator/Associate Warden 

Aug 2007 - Oct 2009 

Metropolitan Detention Center - San Diego, CA 

• Provided direction and leadership to 230 employees 
• Assisted in the management of a 27-million-dollar budget 
• Oversaw high security/maximum custody pre-trial inmates and 200 low security sentenced inmates 
• Ensured all mandatory internal and external security requirements were maintained and properly implemented 
• Served on a forward-thinking workgroup focusing solely on future training trends 
• Provided training on a regular basis to institution staff as well as other government agency staff 
• Implemented several new proactive security measures which resulted in a more open form of communication between staff and inmates, thus allowing staff to find more contraband and providing a safer environment for staff and inmates 
• Worked with union representatives to assist in resolving employee concerns as the Chairperson of the Labor Management Relations Board 

Regional Correctional Programs Administrator  

Feb 2005 - Aug 2007 

Bureau of Prisons, Western Regional Office - Dublin, CA 

• Oversaw 22 federal prisons located in the Western Region of the United States 
• Primarily focused on the development and training of correctional programs staff who were employed by the individual facilities 
• Orchestrated on-site training at the institutions, ensured the staff were familiar with policy, provided guidance, and compiled a report following each training 
• Assembled a training manual for all new case managers to assist them in their duties 
• Conducted regional training with all case management coordinators from the 22 institutions on an annual basis 
• Was appointed to various after-action committees to investigate serious incidents that occurred at the prisons within the region 
• Acted in the position of Regional Director and Deputy Regional Director multiple times 
• Participated in and coordinated several Institution Character Profiles to evaluate programs and review security procedures at various institutions Recommendations were made with regards to enhancing security or reorganizing programs. 
• Was involved in the activation of all aspects of newly constructed federal prisons within the Western Region 
• Coordinated a four-week online training session for case management coordinators to provide information/training on their new responsibilities through the merging of the Inmate Systems Department falling under their purview 
• Received the Supervisor of the Year award from the Regional Director in June 2006 

Correctional Institution Administrator/Executive Assistant 

Aug 2000 - Feb 2005 

Federal Correctional Institution - Schuylkill, PA 

• Planned, supervised, and evaluated programs, training of new staff, and quarterly training of correctional officers 
• Was the Chairperson for inmate’s initial classifications and program reviews 
• Conducted ongoing training and guidance for mentors and proteges as the Mentoring Coordinator 

Assistant Correctional Programs Administrator  

Apr 1997 - Aug 2000 

Bureau of Prisons, Northeast Regional Office - Philadelphia, PA 

• Committee Member  
• Assisted in designing the current Security and Classification System utilized for classifying sentenced female offenders 
• Performed extensive research which suggested a need for a separate classification system for male and female offenders 
• The Bureau of Prisons compiled our findings and in a short time implemented the Committees’ suggestions and created a separate Classification System for female offenders, which is still being utilized to date 
• Coordinated and conducted annual training programs for all case management coordinators throughout the 23 institutions that comprised the Northeast Region 
• Submitted recommendations for policy changes which were adopted and implemented 
• Conducted on-site staff assistance visits at various institutions to provide training to staff 
• Participated in after-action reviews following significant incidents at institutions within the region 

Case Management Coordinator

Dec 1992 - Apr 1997 

Federal Correctional Complex - Allenwood, PA 

• Served as Victim Witness Coordinator, Central Inmate Monitoring Coordinator, Inmate Performance Pay Coordinator and Public Information Spokesperson for the institution 
• Oversaw security with regards to review and approval of inmates designated to the institution  
• Wrote lesson plans and provided on-the-job training for new case managers and new counselors 
• Provided ongoing training to all case managers, counselors, unit secretaries, and correctional officers regarding correctional programs, procedures, and responsibilities 
• Was responsible for quality control of all case management paperwork prior to submission to the warden for signature 

Assistant Parole Liaison Administrator 

Oct 1991-Dec 1992 

Mid-Atlantic Regional Office – Annapolis Junction, MD 

Duty Station – U.S. Parole Commission – Chevy Chase, MD 

• Was responsible for Security Classifications and Designations of parole violators returning to federal prison 

Case Manager 

Mar 1989 – Oct 1991 

Federal Correctional Institution - Danbury, CT 

Federal Prison Camp – Nellis Air Force Base - Las Vegas, NV 

• Oversaw programs related to the 150-200 inmates assigned to my caseload 
• Provided training to new case managers 
• Conducted inmate classification and program reviews 
• Assisted inmates with their release planning 
• Provided guidance to inmates 
• Conducted security and shakedowns within the institution 
• Regularly filled in for correctional officer posts 
• Wrote all reports pertaining to inmates on my caseload 
• Regulated institution security and housing 

Education 

Western Connecticut State University

Danbury, CT Bachelor of Science in Justice and Law Administration

• Recipient of Justice and Law Administration Award of 1988 

Activities 

• Senior Executive Service Member 
• Member of American Correctional Public Information Officer Association 
• Member of Lion’s Club 
• Member of Association of Women Executives in Corrections 
• Instructor/Trainer 
• Volunteer for the American Cancer Society