CHARLOTTE AMALIE — Governor Albert Bryan, Jr. has appointed Ishmael Smittie as the new warden for the Criminal Justice Complex on St. Thomas, effective December 9.
Smittie has more than 32 years of correctional experience. He rose through the ranks from correctional officer to captain while working in at least 20 different correctional facilities in the state and federal system.
Smittie holds a Master of Science in Criminal Justice from the University of Cincinnati in Ohio, a Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice from the American InterContinental University in Atlanta and an Associate of Applied Science in Legal Assistance from Virginia College in Birmingham, Alabama.
He has completed special training in the areas of investigative intelligence; case management; use of force; unit management disciplinary hearing; financial management; central inmate monitoring; command officer; and special weapons and tactics training.
Smittie will be responsible for overseeing the day-to-day operations of the Criminal Justice Complex on St. Thomas, including the St. Thomas jail.
The Criminal Justice Complex has been under a federal consent decree for the past 25 years, with proponents of constitutional rights for jail inmates saying little has improved over the last two and a half decades and that the prospects for improvement are unlikely.
Attorneys from the American Civil Liberties Union National Prison Project argued in April that the Criminal Justice Complex on St. Thomas is a dangerous place for inmates and staffers alike and they recommended it be run by the federal government.