About
AMM Solutions
AMM Solutions was launched in 2024 by Dr. Alix McLearen, a clinical psychologist with over 20 years of federal law enforcement experience, including executive leadership in the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) and as the head of the National Institute of Corrections. Throughout her federal career, she safety a champion for safety, policy integrity, and the humane treatment of individuals in custody.
After retiring from federal service, Dr. McLearen founded AMM Solutions to continue this work. She and her team provide expert testimony, consulting, and sentencing mitigation services for clients. Unlike others in this field, Dr. McLearen and the AMM Solutions network led the very systems they now help clients navigate—they wrote the policies, designed the programs, and understand the realities of incarceration from the highest levels.
The AMM Solutions team works with attorneys, individuals facing incarceration, and their families to provide strategic guidance, advocacy, and clarity on issues related to prison, sentencing, and reentry.
The Team
Dr. Alix McLearen
Dr. Alix M. McLearen, a clinical psychologist and retired federal law enforcement officer and executive derives her expertise from decades of government service inside prisons and in headquarters-based senior management positions.
In 2022, Attorney General Merrick Garland appointed Dr. McLearen to lead the National Institute of Corrections. In this role she led the advancement of public safety by shaping and enhancing correctional policies and practices across 750,000 professionals in local, state, and federal systems.
Dr. McLearen. She held positions of increasing responsibility over more than two decades at BOP, including creating and implementing the agency’s first program for incarcerated persons with cognitive impairments and later serving as Chief Psychologist before becoming one of the agency’s early experts on sexual dangerousness.
In 2014, she was tapped to become BOP’s first National Administrator of the Women and Special Populations Branch, responsible for providing guidance and oversight to all 122 federal correctional facilities and 35,000 employees on issues affecting women, juveniles, persons with disabilities, veterans, and the aging and transgender populations. While maintaining these responsibilities, she served as the agency’s Prison Rape Elimination Act Coordinator, developing national training and compliance standards.
In 2018, Dr. McLearen was appointed Senior Deputy Assistant Director of Reentry Services, and in 2021, she was named Acting Assistant Director of Reentry Services. In these positions, Dr. McLearen had oversight of psychology services, women and special populations, education, chaplaincy, transitional programming, and over 200 halfway houses. She directed nearly one billion dollars in financial resources, more than 300 division staff, and was integral in advancing agency reentry practices. She led the agency’s First Step Act implementation, including spearheading the development of a custom BOP needs assessment tool and a widely lauded virtual volunteer recruitment system.
Across these positions, Dr. McLearen was a staunch advocate for normalcy, access to treatment, and innovation. Amongst her many achievements are the provision of free feminine hygiene products to all women in custody; the addition of more than 50 new treatment and education programs for delivery nationwide; and the development of staff training on trauma, gender, humanity, and safety in prisons.
Dr. McLearen is a sought-after speaker and witness. She was invited to testify before the United States Commission on Civil Rights at its hearing on women’s prison conditions; served as the Department of Justice’s witness in the US v Texas 1:21-cv-796rp abortion case; represented the United States in Tokyo’s United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime corrections symposia; and now provides expert witness services.
Dr. McLearen holds a Doctorate in Clinical Psychology and Law from the University of Alabama. Dr. McLearen has published many articles in preeminent journals and trade publication as well as books and chapters on correctional, legal, and mental health topics. She was the recipient of the Myrl E. Alexander Award, the BOP’s highest honor for correctional innovation, in 2018.
Dr. Cathy Thompson
Dr. Thompson is a seasoned clinical psychologist with over 25 years of expertise in assessing and treating mental health and substance use disorders within state and federal prison systems. During her career with the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) she made significant contributions by coordinating comprehensive substance use and mental health treatment programs for incarcerated individuals across facilities of all security levels. Additionally, she played a pivotal role in coordinating reentry programs for individuals transitioning from incarceration to supervised release.
Dr. Thompson served as the Chief of Drug Treatment Programs for the BOP for seven years. In this leadership role, she managed both the administrative and clinical aspects of substance use treatment across the BOP’s 122 facilities. She developed, implemented, and maintained rigorous standards of program fidelity, ensuring the delivery of high-quality treatment to maximize positive outcomes for incarcerated individuals. Throughout her career, Dr. Thompson has been a passionate advocate for the rights of incarcerated individuals. She retired from BOP in 2023, leaving behind a legacy of dedicated service and impactful change.
Hugh Hurwitz
Hugh Hurwitz’s career leading multiple agencies allows him to bring a unique perspective to any organization seeking demonstrated senior leadership experience. In May 2018, the Attorney General appointed Mr. Hurwitz to serve as the Acting Director of the Federal Bureau of Prisons, one of the largest correctional systems in the world.
He began his career with the BOP as a law clerk in 1988. He later held a variety of positions across government such as Deputy Chief Financial Officer at the Department of Education and Assistant Inspector General at NASA. In 2017 he returned to BOP, working in information management leadership and then leading the Reentry Services Division, including implementing the First Step Act. In 2020, He became BOP’s Chief Financial Officer and senior procurement official. He retired from federal service in 2021.
Mr. Hurwitz holds a Juris Doctor degree from American University and is a frequent guest lecturer on corrections, leadership, and procurement. He is a member of the Council on Criminal Justice.