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Don't Forget the Blog
The easiest way around to find out about criminal justice topics in
Massachusetts.
For those of you who are new to "blogging" please check out http://cjpc.blogspot.com/
Blog technology allows us to post things as soon as we learn of them. It
is similar to a website and similar to a bulletin board, but the
technology is slightly more user friendly. We are trying to find the
best way to keep interested people informed. Let us know what you think.
The CJPC Blog
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Dear Liz,
We'd like to thank all of you who continue to support us
financially. Already in 2004 first quarter membership and
contributions are up by 50% in the comparable period. Notes
accompanying the contributions in addition to the growth tell us
that many want the CJPC to continue what we are doing. Now what we
need are more active members who can share the work. Of course
continuing financial support is critical. As you all know, we have
lots of work to do and we can't do it alone. So if you're interested
in volunteering and even joining the Board, please contact us.
I personally have been actively involved with the CJPC for almost
five years. I did my graduate school placement with Steve Saloom in
the office of the ACLU! Fair, effective criminal justice policy
means a lot to me, enough for me to carve out time to do it. I know
it means a great deal to others. I hope you will consider giving
some of your free time to help our commonwealth improve conditions
for those on both sides of the wall. Sincerely, Liz Barnett
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The Harshbarger Commission - What's the bottom line? |
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Come to the CJPC's 9th Annual Meeting and find out! Leslie Walker,
Executive Director of Massachusetts Correctional Legal Serivces will
be responding to the content of the Harshbarger Report. The meeting
will also include an update on CJPC current activities and coming
priorities.
The meeting will be held on Wednesday, April 21st at the First
Church in Roxbury, 10 Putnam Street in Eliot Square (4 blocks from
Roxbury Crossing) from 6- 8:30pm. The meeting will be catered by
Mississippi's of Roxbury. Dinner is $10 for members and $15 for non-
members. Please RSVP to [email protected].
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Mental Illness and Substance Abuse |
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The Criminal Justice Policy Coalition is pleased to announce plans
for a conference and /or speaker series addressing the
over-incarceration of people with mentally illness and those
addicted to alcohol and other drugs. We invite your feedback and
participation as we fine-tune the topic and develop our plans.
The CJPC has committed a considerable share of its current
financial resources to support the working committee; we will be
seeking supplemental funding or other assistance to bring greater
attention to the issues. Many organizations work diligently everyday
to serve directly or indirectly the communities affected by the
issues in question. These organizations have much needed knowledge
and energy, talented and available staff, and often access to
membership. The CJPC hopes that interested and able organizations
will help.
For More Information
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It's Time for a Commissioner of Corrections |
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In February, Liz Barnett, Vice- Chair of the CJPC authored a letter
to Governor Romney urging him to consider certain criteria in his
selection of a new Commissioner of Correction. We focused our
criteria on being knowledgeable and committed to implementing state
of the art practices for corrections, including A) preparing
offenders for their ultimate release to the community the day they
enter prison; B) utilizing validated risk and need assessment tools
that measure likelihood for reoffending; C) establishing estimated
release dates that can be used for case planning purposes; D)
establishing release and revocation guidelines; E) having a system
of post- incarceration supervision driven by an offenders risk
level; F) having rational policies related to discharging offenders
from supervision that pose minimal risk to the community; using the
principles of what works, including motivational interviewing and
cognitive behavioral programming to address criminogenic factors;
and G) a commitment to working closely with other state agencies
that share in responsibility for success after release.
Our letter cited the attention that reentry is getting nationally
by the President and myriad Federal agencies, as well as naming the
Governors of Rhode Island, Michigan, and Missouri as examples of
people committed to these best practices. The letter was also sent
to our organizational members asking them to sign on.
For Full Letter
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Geoghan Report Released |
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The Geoghan Panel report has been released to the public and is
available by sending a check for $8.50 (copying and postage) to:
Julie Kelly, Executive Office of Public Safety, One Ashburton Place,
Boston, MA 02108. The undated report gives a fairly comprehensive
history of the two inmates, Joseph Druce and John Geoghan: how they
came to live in the same unit at Souza Baranowski MCI, and how
certain failings of department wide systems contributed to the
murder on August 23, 2003. The report concludes with a series of
recommendations including certain changes to improve inmate safety,
tracking of disciplinary reports, consideration of classification
procedures, and CO training for officers responsible for special
housing units. The CJPC intends to post a fuller synopsis on our
website within the next several weeks.
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Testimony to the Harshbarger Committee |
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On February 24th, Lloyd Fillion, Chair of the CJPC gave testimony at
the public hearing to Harshbarger Committee. He described current
conditions in the Massachusetts Department of Corrections, and urged
for a more transparent, professional and humane system.
For Full Testimony (Scroll Down)
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Brief Legislative Detour for the Citizen Review Board |
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Having been reported out favorably from the General Court's Joint
Committee on Public Safety, Rep. Khan's bill (H.4457) to create a
Citizen Review Board has moved to the House Rules Committee (Angelo
Scaccia, chair) as its next stop on the way toward consideration by
the full House. The Rules Committee reviews any legislation that
creates additional information flow to the legislators. It is hoped
that the Rules Committee will act quickly. The next step will likely
be either the House Ways and Means Committee (John Rogers, chair)
because of fiscal implications of the bill, or the House Steering,
Policy and Scheduling Committee (Paul Kujawski, chair). As the
routing becomes clear, we will let you know, encouraging dialogue
with the members of the appropriate committee. Rep. Timothy Toomey,
Cochair , Joint Committee on Public Safety, can play a key role in
moving this legislation through the House.
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