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Annual Report for 2004 As 2004 draws to a close, the Board of the Criminal Justice Policy Coalition wants to share with you some of what has been achieved this year. We are feeling particularly pleased by our results and very grateful for your support. CJPC was very active in 2004 and also grew its membership. Our main achievements are highlighted below. v Original Reports This year we have written the following reports on the four Governor’s commissions, two of which have been circulated broadly. In addition, all are posted on our web site. · “The Geoghan Panel Report: What it Says - and What it Misses”“ (March) · “Report of the Governor’s Commission on Corrections Reform: A Digest and Commentary” (a.k.a. the Harshbarger Report) (September) · Letter to Lieutenant Kerry Healey in response to the Governor’s Commission on Criminal Justice Innovations (a.k.a. The Healey Commission) (May) · The Governor’s Council on Capital Punishment- An analysis of the report. (June) We have also produced extensive papers on several legislative concerns, particularly in the area of sentencing: · “Current Proposals for Sentencing Guidelines: Background and Basics” (June) · “Mandatory Minimum Drug Sentencing Under Sentencing Guidelines Proposals” (July) · “Mandatory Minimum Sentencing in Massachusetts: Alternative Approaches”(Feb.) · “The MA Department of Correction by the Numbers” (August) v Direct Advocacy The CJPC developed materials on the Citizen Review Board and on restitution for wrongful convictions and spent a substantive amount of time at the State House educating certain representative and senatorial offices about the particular intricacies within those proposed bills. Board members offered testimony before the Governor’s Commission on Corrections Reform, both orally and subsequently in writing, and helped individuals to provide that Commission with their own observations. We also provided testimony to the Governor’s Council regarding appointments to the Parole Board. v Strengthened Website We have made a number of improvements to our website. If you haven’t visited www.cjpc.org recently, stop by soon and see how much information is provided. For example, as we tracked the progress of the legislative effort to create a citizen review board we posted each iteration of the respective bill, often highlighting the changes from prior versions, and kept its legislative history current with its progress through the various committees. We monitored and documented the effort to provide restitution for wrongful felony convictions in a similar way. With sentencing guidelines, we posted several federal court decisions which had clear impact on the future of enacting guidelines in Massachusetts. The wealth of information on these issues brought calls from reporters and attorneys who found our site uniquely useful. Next year the CJPC hopes to track a broader range of issues to at least the same level depth. v Enhanced Newsletter This year we will have put out nine editions of a newsletter both on line and hard copy, for those without access to the internet. The on-line version uses links to more detailed material on the subjects covered. For the price of a stamped, self-addressed envelope, we have supplied hardcopy of that backup information for those relying on the post office, and will continue to do so. In addition to providing a means of broadcasting the above mentioned reports and analyses, the newsletter has given readers insights about other issues such as civil commitment and classification, and notice of publications like the “Directory of Resources for Ex-Offenders”. By the end of this year, we expect to be purchasing new software to allow for a more friendly format, occasional pictures, and to provide for full archiving and indexing of past and future issues. v Activated the List Serve Using the internet, some 200 addresses receive news alerts focusing on legislative matters, events occurring in the community, and resources newly available. Many of these alerts come from individual members and from other organizations. These emails have strengthened the ability of our members to be aware of and responsive to legislative initiatives in the criminal justice area, and to take advantage of educational opportunities in the State. v Annual Meeting On April 21st, 2004, CJPC continued its tradition of holding its Annual Meeting at the First Church in Eliot Square, Roxbury. This annual event offers a low-cost, friendly opportunity to share a meal with old and new friends with similar concerns about criminal justice in Massachusetts In addition to networking, the forty-six in attendance met the CJPC Board members, received a half year report on the organization and voted in officers for 2004. Ms. Walker spoke on “The Crisis in Corrections, and What We Can Do for Positive, Permanent Changes”. Her presentation focused on the state of conditions within MA prisons, primarily based on many interviews with prisoners at, and visits to both Framingham and Souza Baranowski, state prisons that she and her staff had done in the last six months. She directed the attention of the audience to the desperate need for systemic changes in the classification, the grievance, and the disciplinary hearings processes as fundamental to any reform of the Department of Correction. She urged all in attendance to recognize the potential for real change, but to keep informed and vigilant in looking for the evidence of progress on the key items she highlighted. In addition to giving a report on overall membership numbers and finances, Lloyd Fillion, the CJPC Chair, reported on the two hour talk on the status of criminal justice legislation he had just given to 80 members of the Lifers’ Group of Norfolk Correctional Institution the preceding night. That visit was perhaps the first such group presentation within a state correctional facility by other than an elected official or attorney since the beginning of the prior Commissioner’s tenure; Permission for the presentation had only been granted after appeal of the initial denial to the staff of newly appointed Acting Commissioner Dennehy. v Conference on Mental Health and the Criminal Justice System This past September, the CJPC hosted a conference in Shrewsbury, MA and entitled “Harm or Help: Responding to the Criminalization of Mental Illness and Addiction.” The conference organizing was led by the CJPC staff Patrice Brymner, who was primarily responsible for shaping the conference. In addition, she enlisted co-sponsorships and major donations from key organizations in drug policy and mental health fields. Over 170 people attended the event; the inclusion of people from central and western Massachusetts and from criminal justice professions was impressive. Attendees included representatives from police departments, probation, corrections, state health agencies, social service providers, advocacy groups, and the judiciary. The keynote by Sheriff Michael Ashe of Hampden County was well-received as was a plenary panel and six workshops. (See our website for a full report.) CJPC video taped the event which tapes, as funds permit, will be edited to provide highlights on our web site. v Growth in Membership and Financial Base Because of the conference and other outreach, the CJPC ends 2004 with a paid membership base which is more than double that of 2003. This increased membership base, in concert with the conference sponsorships and fees, also tripled our 2003 income. Beginning in the summer, members of the board and volunteers have been invol- ved in a campaign to increase the contributions to the organization. We were successful in attracting $5,000 in sponsorships for the conference. Additionally, five private citizens have collectively donated $26,000 in the last two months toward next years’ program. One of the gifts is a $20,000 matching grant of which we hope to take full advantage. Several members developed targeted mailing lists from which we are soliciting financial support. In 2005, the Board will begin again approaching foundations for support for several of the unique projects we have crafted. v Program Goals for 2005 It is clear that the opportunity for major reform of the Department of Correction remains open, and the CJPC will continue to advocate for the needed systemic changes. In addition, we believe the county correctional systems are due for similar attention and reform and will explore a means to facilitate such changes. This past summer the Board created an ad hoc committee of individuals concerned about the use of civil commitment in light of the inaccurate and often inflammatory reports so often found in the media. With increased staff time, we will continue to gather information about the State’s hand-ling of sex offenders and make such information available. The CJPC website will con-tinue to expand the number of issues tracked. Coming issues of the newsletter will devote space to non-legislative issues, such as prison health services, and the conditions for prison visitation. We have already begun the work of forming a coalition to advocate for reform of sentencing in 2005, in particular modifying mandatory minimum sentences. The Board is confident that with your help the organization can continue to grow in providing the resources and connections needed for change. We look forward to continuing to work together towards a humane, healing, and effective criminal justice policy for Massachusetts. Prepared by Peg Erlanger, Lloyd Fillion and Dorothy Weitzman November 21, 2004
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