MIDDLESEX COUNTY PRISON COORDINATING COMMITTTEE NEWSLETTER

MCPCC met on Dec. 10, 2003 in West Newton. Mary Ann Donaldson, Beverly Wilkins, Tom Crowther, Elizabeth Woodbridge and Marjorie Moerschner were present.

Tom presented the treasurer's report. He and Mary Ann will prepare a letter for our annual appeal. We have already received very generous contributions from Eliot Church, Newton, and from

The Presbyterian Church of Sudbury. Many thanks to both!

Tom brought in Christmas cards, all with appropriate greetings, which he had printed on his computer from artwork done by Billerica inmates. They looked great! Tom will also get the many Christmas cards which had been collected by churches and individuals to Rev. Milton Thomas, the Billerica chaplain, for distribution to the men. We would especially like to thank the following for their efforts in collecting cards:

The First Church of Christ, Congregational, Bedford

Rev. Anna Caskey and friends

Bob Hanna and the Littleton Congregational Church

The United Methodist Church of Newton

Second Church, Newton

and all MCPCC's members.

The Evening With Sheriff DiPaola held at The Bedford Church November 2 was very successful and we heard a number of favorable comments. An audience of about 60 people listened

attentively and asked lots of good questions during the question and answer period. Many people gathered around the sheriff later for still more dialogue. (A summary of the evening follows.)

We thank Sheriff DiPaola for giving of his time so generously and with such good humor.

MCPCC will not meet in January.

Our next meeting will be FEBRUARY 11, and we will have a speaker.

Place: Second Church in Newton 60 Highland St. West Newton

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Summary.

The Sheriff introduced several members of his staff to the audience, including Human Services Director Judy Kovachek, Treatment Coordinator Leila Boykins Hall and her correction officer husband, and two chaplains, Rev. Milton Thomas and Deacon John McMillan. The Sheriff noted the professiona1ism of his prison staff. Correction officers, for example, must pass an open and competitive exam, followed by interviews with the staff and with the sheriff. They then receive 8 weeks of training- formerly they had only 2. This training enables them also to be a safety force in the community if needed. A culture of corruption or abusive behavior is not tolerated.

The daily administration of the Billerica House of Correction and the Cambridge Jail involves 700 employees. The cost per inmate per year is $41,000. Security, the prison's basic priority, is labor-intensive.

The sheriff aims to try to rehabilitate every inmate of the House of Correction, most of whom will be returning to society within two or three years. Among many programs targeted to that end are:

· Alcohol and substance abuse programs, which have more than doubled in the last few years. They include the usual 12-step programs and an alternate program called Smart Recovery.

· A Violence Intervention program that includes inviting women who had been battered by their partners to tell their stories- often powerful eye-openers far domestic abusers.

· Houses of Healing classes.

· An HIV class.

Middlesex Community Counseling Centers have opened in Cambridge and Lowell, as both a resource for men leaving prison and as an alternative to prison. Technology- such as the ability to read someone's blood 1eve1 over the telephone!- has enabled men to live safely in society.

In Massachusetts, the recidivism rate for ex-inmates receiving no aftercare is 72%; for those receiving aftercare such as that supplied by the Counseling Centers, it is only 26%.

The Sheriff's office is involved in crime prevention on a kid's level. Selected inmates visit schools to tell their stories. Under the Second Strike program, at-risk kids visit the prison. The prison staff runs a summer day camp for boys and girls from Middlesex communities. They play sports, but alternatives to violence training is included, as well as a chance to get to know the local firefighters and police force.

The House of Correction was level funded this year. The sheriff's experience as a state legislator has helped him to know where to look for needed grant money. He also worked very hard

to help get the $47,000,000 bond bill for a new prison passed this year. Billerica was built in 1929 to house 300 inmates. Last year the prison population averaged 1200 men! Modular units

designed to last 5 years were added; the prison used them for 15 years. They are finally gone, as work begins on the new building.

The sheriff stated that he is in favor of Civilian Review Boards.

The sheriff then presented plaques to four faithful volunteers to the prison and jail. They were Carol Peters and Rev. Margie Saphier, for bringing Houses of Healing to the prison; to Dr.

Seth Asaré for conducting Bible study classes at the Cambridge Jail over many years; and to Rev. Jamie Howard, who, with members of the Bedford First Church of Christ, has participated in the chaplain’s Sunday afternoon chapel service in the past and is presently leading Bible Study monthly at the Community Works Project unit.