MIDDLESEX COUNTY PRISON COORDINATING COMMITTEE NEWSLETTER

MCPCC met on June 4,2002 in Newtonville. Beverly Wilkins, Mary Ann Donaldson, Elizabeth Woodbridge, Tom Crowther, Dorothy Weitzman and Marjorie Moerschner were present, and we also welcomed Archie Lyon, chairman of the Administration of Justice Committee of the MA League of Women Voters. Our guest speaker was Judy Garofalo.

Judy is a clinical social worker at Billerica under a grant from the Dept. of Mental Health. She is enthusiastic about the staff and about the way the facility is managed, and has come to regard Billerica as the best place she has ever worked.

There are two other clinical social workers at Billerica as part of the prison staff, and two psychiatrists, one of whom is there under a grant from the Dept. of Mental Health. There are about 10 case workers, some of whom are former correction officers. Some have social work degrees, though none have clinical experience. Each inmate has a case worker.

Judy focuses mostly but not exclusively on men with mental health problems. After the deinstitionalizing of the state mental hospitals, prison became the place of last resort, dumping grounds really, for the mentally ill.

She is also concerned that the youngest inmates be given help. A college student who had had a serious brush with the law was sentenced to spend every weekend on the House of Correction while continuing to attend classes during the week. Judy met with him every Friday after he reported in to the facility.

She spends time on the tiers, which gives her a sense of who needs help. The correction officers can also be a source of information; they are usually shrewd observers of human behavior. She likes to be visible in the special management units too- the segregation, protective custody and substance abuse units. She tries to see each inmate as he comes in to the prison, but because of the numbers she can't see them all. It is no longer a requirement that each inmate be seen upon admission.

Her office is very small, and she prefers to meet with Inmates wherever a convenient space is available, She sees over 290 inmates each month.

Each inmate who has mental health problems leaves with an after-care plan, which helps him with housing and gets him connected to a community mental health facility. The D.M.H. will take care of the after-care plan if she makes out an application, and if the man is still there when the application comes through.

Otherwise Judy provides the after-care plan.

Judy believes in the core of humanity in each person, and this belief keeps her from getting down.

Dorothy noted that there have been many cuts in prison programs generally, as well as in forensic mental health programs. County facilities seem to have been especially targeted. The Sheriffs Association is trying to get some of these cuts restored.

In past years, the DMH had more money available for county prisons than they actually spent, with the result that the funds were reduced.

MCPCC has received a letter from MA Correctional Legal Services, advising us of the latest budgetary outrage- which seems to be the best word for it. This is an amendment which got quietly attached to the line item providing for the operation of the office of the Commissioner of Public Safety. Among other things, the amendment requires prisoners to pay $5.00 a day towards their room and board. This could mean that a prisoner released after 5 years incarceration would be saddled with a debt of over $9000, which he will be compelled to pay from whatever money he is able to earn. No studies have been made as to the feasibility of this proposal and the cost of administering it would probably far exceed any financial benefit to the state. Please call your state senator to protest this amendment to line item 8000-0000. If you call (617) 722-1455,

the Senate Lobby, they'll tell you who your Senator is and connect you. You could also call Senate Pres. Birmingham.

Beverly had a good meeting with prison officials and the Partakers who will be giving the Houses of Healing course. The prison will take care of folders and copying for the course.

Beverly and Mary Ann will speak about MCPCC at a meeting of the NASW Criminal Justice Committee on June 20 at the B.C. Graduate School of Social Work. This meeting is co-sponsored by the Criminal Justice Policy Coalition.

Rev. Thomas, the Protestant chaplain at Billerica, reminds us that he will need Christmas cards for inmates to send out. He 1ikes to give each man two cards and since the population at Billerica and the Cambridge Jail is around 1200, he will need 2400 cards. If you have left-over cards from previous years, or would like to make this a church project, please let us know. These should be new, not used cards.

We thank Edwards Church in Framingham for its very generous recent gift!

And we thank Judy Garafolo for coming to speak with us, and of giving us a glimpse of the remarkable skills she brings to helping troubled men turn their lives around.

Our July meeting will be our annual meeting. We will discuss and vote on our proposed new By-Laws which will enable us to apply for non-profit status.

NEXT MEETING: JULY 16, at 7 PM

CENTRAL CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH,UCC, 218 WALNUT ST., NEWTONVILLE