2026 -- S 2008

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     STATE OF RHODE ISLAND

IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY

JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2026

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S E N A T E   R E S O L U T I O N

EXPRESSING CONDOLENCES ON THE PASSING OF ASHBEL TINGLEY WALL, II

     Introduced By: Senators LaMountain, Lawson, Felag, de la Cruz, Euer, Patalano,
Tikoian, Quezada, Sosnowski, and DiPalma

     Date Introduced: January 08, 2026

     Referred To: Recommended for Immediate Consideration

     WHEREAS, It is with deep sadness that this Senate has learned of the passing of Ashbel

Tingley Wall, II, better known to all as A.T. Wall, the long-time distinguished Director of the

Rhode Island Department of Corrections. He was the beloved husband of Maria DeCarvalho for

44 years; and

     WHEREAS, A.T. Wall was born on a United States Naval Base in Yokosuka, Japan, in

1953, where his father, John Wall, served as a Naval Officer during the Korean Conflict. Upon

his father and mother Mary Wall's return to Providence, A.T. Wall attended the Gordon School,

Moses Brown School and Phillips Exeter Academy. He later attended Yale University, where he

graduated summa cum laude, before attending and graduating from Yale Law School; and

     WHEREAS, The summer after his sophomore year at Yale, Mr. Wall participated in a

Study of the City internship in New Haven that introduced him to the juvenile justice system. Mr.

Wall was mesmerized by many important issues present in the cases he handled, and this

awakening led him to accept a position in the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office after

graduating law school. Mr. Wall later served as the Director of the Manhattan Community

Service Sentencing Project, a program that provided job training as an alternative to incarceration

for non-violent repeat offenders; and

     WHEREAS, Mr. Wall returned to Rhode Island in 1985, and after a short stint as a policy

advisor in the Governor’s office, he began his distinguished public service career with the Rhode

Island Department of Corrections, where he served with distinction and abiding integrity for more

than three decades, including nearly two decades as Director. Upon his retirement, Mr. Wall was

the longest-serving Corrections Director in the United States; and

     WHEREAS, As Director, Mr. Wall was an innovator who emphasized improving inmate

health, education and rehabilitation, by supporting ex-offenders' reentry into civilian life. Under

Director Wall’s direction, he initiated a nation-leading medication-assisted treatment program for

inmates fighting addiction and substance abuse disorders. Another one of Director Wall’s

initiatives was a program in which inmates, under the supervision of correctional officers, would

train service dogs who would then be placed with injured military veterans and other disabled

people to provide companionship and support. One of Director Wall’s most gratifying

experiences was when he helped a young ex-offender to gain admission to Yale Law School; and

     WHEREAS, As a testament to A.T. Wall’s effective leadership as the Director of the

Rhode Island Department of Corrections for nearly two decades, there were no homicides in his

facilities, nor were there any successful escapes. Additionally, there were no efforts by the federal

courts to intervene in the department’s operations or policies. In recognition of his vast expertise

and experience within the corrections community, Mr. Wall was asked by the Civil Rights

Division to evaluate confinement conditions in correctional facilities across the United States and

was asked to testify before the United States Congress about the Prison Rape Elimination Act.

Mr. Wall also took part in strategic conversations at the White House; and

     WHEREAS, In his free time, Mr. Wall enjoyed listening to Top 40 music, hiking in the

White Mountains, and taking care of his beloved Labrador Retrievers, Chum and Charlie. Mr.

Wall was a devoted family man who, despite his taxing professional career, always found time to

have dinner at home with his family, to attend school concerts, plays, and sporting events, as well

as spending quality time with his family on vacations; and

     WHEREAS, A.T. Wall was also a man of deep faith and compassion for his fellow man.

He was a lifelong Episcopalian and his faith guided him and energized him as he navigated both

his family life and professional career; and

     WHEREAS, In addition to his wife, Maria DeCarvalho, Mr. Wall leaves behind his

children, Harrison Holley Wall, Ashbel Tingley Wall, III, as well as his son-in-law, Robert Jones,

his daughter-in-law, Adrienne Healey, his grandchildren, Holley Jones and Alton Healey-Wall,

and his sister, Mary Brooks “Polly” Wall. Mr. Wall also leaves behind his nieces and nephew,

Mary Coe and her husband, Thomas Kuhn, Livy Coe, and Annie Daly and her husband, Jon

Gentry, and Will Daly, as well as brother-in-law and sister-in-law, Mel and Carol DeCarvalho;

now, therefore be it

     RESOLVED, That this Senate of the State of Rhode Island hereby expresses its deepest

condolences to the Wall Family on the passing of Ashbel Tingley Wall, II; and be it further

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     RESOLVED, That the Secretary of State be and hereby is authorized and directed to

transmit a duly certified copy of this resolution to Maria DeCarvalho and Family.

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