Opinion ID: 1918563
Heading Depth: 4
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: The Talbot Hall Incident

Text: In February 1999 the Parole Board conducted an interview by telephone with Joseph Trabucco, the Director of psychological testing at Talbot Hall, whose qualifications include a master's degree in psychology. In September 1998, after numerous public officials had protested Trantino's assignment to Talbot Hall, Trabucco administered to Trantino a 175 question true-false test known as the MCMI-II, the result of which suggested that Trantino possessed a mild to moderate psychological dysfunction and stated that [a]lthough violence is not a major characteristic of this inmate's behavioral repertoire, there may be occasions when violence can be provoked, although not readily. Trabucco described Trantino as a very controlled individual, thinks about what he's saying, thinks about who he's speaking to, calculating if you will. In response to Board Chairman Consovoy's question concerning any specific types of instances that might provoke him to violence, Trabucco related an incident that the Board deemed significant in assessing Trantino's likelihood of recidivism. Trabucco stated that in September 1998 he tested Trantino about substance abuse only on the basis of events during the preceding year, and the test result revealed no substance abuse problem. Trantino was then asked to retake the same test, this time responding on the basis of his entire lifetime. According to Trabucco, Trantino became sort of agitated and definitely perturbed. He said Why are you making me do this? Trabucco stated that Trantino's veneer... started toto crack a little bit, and described the incident in the following manner: His face was kind of red, he was slightly more animated and agitated. And he said, You know, I know it's not you, Mr. Trabucco, but, you know, those guys at corrections, they're out to get me. And he went into this kind of spiel about how it wasn't me that was making him take this test, but other people, and they were going to take the results and do what they wanted to do anyway. And we got him to sit down again, and then he got up the third time and was then agitated enough, now again, I didn't feel threatened, I didn't feel, you know, that he was going to hit me or anything, but heit was the only time in this whole experience here when Iwhen I sensed that that veneer had cracked to some extent. He was highly animated and agitated, took his glasses off, was sort of pacing, was a very different Mr. Trantino then [sic] I think most people get to see. Andand well, he didn't takethe outcome was we didn'twe couldn't get him to sit down and take the other part of the test, and I'm not sure it mattered much in the long run anyway. But as I look back and look at the results of the testing and his experience here, I mean I think whatwhat it indicated to me was, that whenwhen you put him in a situation, when you press him, or put him in a situation he doesn't feel in control or totally comfortable with, you beginyou begin to see this other side ofof this person, which, you know, the cool calculated responses tend to vanish, and the agitation sets in. [ Trantino V, supra, 331 N.J.Super. at 589, 752 A. 2d 761.] Cynthia Smarook, an assessment counselor at Talbot Hall, who was interviewed by the Parole Board's executive director, confirmed Trabucco's characterization of the incident. Smarook also reported that during Trantino's stay at Talbot Hall, he was controlled, he was polite, he was cooperative, he was actually rather chatty, and had not exhibited any prior agitation, other than the incident. When told that Trantino later denied the incident, Smarook responded that: [H]e's either lying or itit happened fairly quickly and he just completely put it out of his mind thatthat it occurred. I don'tI can't tell whether or not he is deliberately lying about it. Itit was fairly quick before he was told he didn't have to take it based on thethe same stipulations as the rest of the population who does. At his June 4, 1999 hearing before the Parole Board, Chairman Consovoy, without mentioning Trabucco, referred to an incident at Talbot Hall during which Trantino became agitated and quite perturbed. Trantino denied that any such incident had occurred. Between the June 4 and June 9, 1999 Parole Board hearings Trantino apparently was shown a copy of Dr. Rosenfeld's report that referred to the Trabucco incident. At the June 9 hearing, when Trantino again was asked about the incident by Consovoy, with specific reference by name to Trabucco, Trantino explained his earlier denial and recounted his version of what had occurred: [On June 4] [y]ou didn't mention Mr. Or [sic] Dr., I think he is a psychologist, Tribucco [sic]. I know the incident now, there was a woman psychologist, she went to give me a test, and I am saying this is not appropriate, and it was in this computer room. Other people were there, including Dr. Trabucco was in the back, and I just turned to him, I said, Doctor, could you help out over here. And he said what's the problem? I stated the problem and he told her that this man is in remission, he does not have to take that test, that's what he said, not whatever is said there actually, that's not what happened. Now I might have been perturbed, certainly I was perturbed, but not angry, I was able to talk to him and he straightened it out. He said I didn't have to take it, that I am right. The man is in remission, he took the other test, all these other tests, he is okay, throw that away. That is what he said to that woman.