MIDDLESEX COUNTY PRISON COORDINATING COMMITTEE NEWSLETTER

MCPCC met on May 12, 2004 in West Newton. Mary Ann Donaldson,

Beverly Wilkins, Tom Crowther, Elizabeth Woodbridge, Bill

Bergquist and Marjorie Moerschner were present. Elizabeth gave

the opening prayer.

Tom reported on the Criminal Justice Policy Coalition annual

meeting which he and Bill had attended.

Attorney Leslie Walker, Executive Director of the MA Correctional Legal Services, spoke about four issues affecting Massachusetts prisons, primarily state prisons, which should be addressed:

1) Physical and mental health care.

2) Guard brutality

3) Over classification of inmate to high security status. 83% of MA state prisoners are in a high security classification.

4) Extreme confinement. 1000 prison beds are occupied

by inmates who are locked up for 21-23 hours a day.

Massachusetts has many more inmates in protective custody than the national average for prisons. Massachusetts also has the highest ratio of correction officers to inmates in the country.

The president of CJPC reported that the Norfolk Lifers group

is concerned about the right to vote in state elections, a right

which was taken away from MA prison inmates several years ago.

(Inmates have never been able to vote in presidential elections.)

Mary Ann drew our attention to a resolution to be introduced at

the annual meeting of the MA Conference of the United Church of

Christ in June. The resolution opposes the use of prison

control units for anything more than brief periods. It urges

UCC churches to become involved with the Campaign to Build Safer

Communities, which is dedicated to closing the control units.

The MA Conference Task Force on Restorative Justice, led by

Michael Rich of the Pleasant Street Church in Arlington, provides

training for churches which would like to offer alternatives to

the criminal justice system. Training in circle process is also

available.

The May issue of the National Association of Social Workers

reports on a study by the Human Rights Watch. This study found

that in the US there are three times as many mentally ill people

in prisons as there are in mental health hospitals. One prisoner

in six is mentally ill. Prisons are not equipped to handle these sick people, who are often abused by other inmates, and often end up in isolation units.

Tom reported on the state of the treasury, which is far from

robust.

He had some good news to report too:

· MCPCC has at last received its official 501(c)(3) status as a non-profit organization.

· Second Church in Newton will support a campership for a

prisoner's child.

· The Church of Christ, Congregational, in Bedford, the

Unitarian Church in Bedford and the Bedford Library have all sent books to the Billerica prison library.

MCPCC also wishes to thank Doris Webber for her recent generous

contribution.

NEXT MEETING: JUNE 9, 2004 at 7 PM

This will be our annual meeting.

SECOND CHURCH IN NEWTON, 60 HIGHLAND STREET, WEST NEWTON