Leslie Morrison, M.S., R.N., J.D.

Leslie Morrison is Director of the Investigations Unit at Disability Rights California (DRC), the P&A for California. She is an attorney and a registered nurse with a graduate degree in psychiatric nursing. Leslie directs investigations of allegations of abuse and/or neglect involving persons with disabilities, with the focus being systemic reform. She is a national expert on the use of restraints and seclusion for behavior management. She has conducted a number of investigations into injuries and deaths resulting from the use of restraint in a variety of settings, including treatment facilities, community residential facilities, and schools. She has authored legislation to reform restraint and seclusion practices California. Leslie is a member of a federal advisory committee overseeing grants awarded by Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration to states to reduce and eliminate restraint and seclusion practices in state facilities.

Before joining DRC, Leslie worked as in-house counsel at several acute care hospitals running their risk management, corporate compliance and quality improvement programs. She is also recognized as an expert in issues regarding the increased victimization of persons with disabilities and inadequacies in the abuse reporting and response system to such crimes. She has worked to develop and implement system reform to ensure an adequate response by abuse response and to provide crime victims with disabilities equal access to the criminal justice system. Leslie received her law degree from Golden Gate University School of Law in 1995, her Masters in Psychiatric Mental Health Nursing from Boston College in 1986, and bachelor of science degree from the University of Rochester in New York.