Monitoring
• Court-appointed and party-retained monitor roles
• Compliance assessments under settlement agreements and consent decrees
• Pre-litigation system reviews and gap analyses
• On-site facility tours, clinical chart reviews, and stakeholder interviews
• Evaluation of suicide prevention, crisis services, segregation practices, and continuity of care
• Periodic reporting to courts, parties, and oversight bodies
Findings are organized around clearly defined standards and metrics, with sourcing transparent enough that agencies, monitors, and parties can replicate or challenge the analysis. Reports balance candor about deficiencies with constructive, achievable paths to compliance.
From 2022 through 2025, Dr. Patterson served as a mental health expert to the federal Special Master in Coleman v. Newsom, the federal class action governing mental health care across the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR). That work included on-site evaluation and policy review across CDCR’s full continuum of mental health services — inpatient hospital, crisis management, residential, outpatient, and case management levels of care — over multiple years. Because monitoring and oversight work is performed in a forensic capacity rather than as direct clinical treatment, engagements are not limited to the jurisdictions in which Dr. Patterson holds clinical licensure (District of Columbia, Maryland, and Virginia).
Frequently Asked Questions
Who typically retains you for monitoring work?
Engagements have come from courts directly, from parties to litigation or settlement agreements, from monitor teams seeking subject-matter expertise, and from agency leadership pursuing voluntary review.
Will you serve as a neutral monitor agreed to by both parties?
Yes. Dr. Patterson regularly accepts neutral roles and structures the engagement so that access, communication, and reporting are transparent to all parties.
How long do monitoring engagements typically last?
Engagements range from one-time pre-litigation reviews to multi-year compliance monitoring under consent decrees or settlement agreements. Scope and duration are defined in the engagement agreement.
What standards do you apply?
Reviews draw on the facility’s own policies, applicable court orders or settlement provisions, and recognized professional standards including NCCHC, ACA, and APA guidance, with the operative standard for each finding stated explicitly.