About the Project

Project Focus

This project began in January 2005 to focus on county-level corrections in Massachusetts, a system that houses more than half of the state's incarcerated adults. The project is designed to research, analyze, and disseminate relevant information on the state of county corrections in order to provide community education, highlight innovations, and call for change in areas needing improvement. County corrections is an area of unique opportunity and challenge. County-level autonomy in Massachusetts allows disparity in policies and practices, but also creates opportunities for innovation in programming, hiring, and training. Sheriffs, as elected officials, are responsive to voter sentiment and accountable in a way that the Department of Correction (state prison) is not. The CJPC County Corrections project is designed to gather and disseminate information concerning key areas of county-level corrections in Massachusetts. The research is based on Study Areas developed by CJPC, following initial research and consistent with CJPC's goals and mission statement.

Project Objectives

· To discover and promote innovative and effective models in programming, policies, and procedures in key areas of county corrections.

· To bring attention to the challenges and needs faced by county sheriffs.

· To foster a deeper understanding of the role county corrections can play to encourage healthier and safer lives for those incarcerated and formerly incarcerated, reduce recidivism, and increase public safety.

· To assess county corrections generally and within specific counties based on developed study areas.

· To promote policies and procedures that meet our standards and goals for corrections, while calling for change in areas that need improvement.

For more information about this project, please contact Patrice Brymner, project coordinator, at [email protected].