MIDDLESEX COUNTY PRISON COORDINATING COMMITTEE NEWSLETTER

MCPCC met on Nov. 8, 2006 in West Newton. Those present were Tom Crowther, Mary Ann Donaldson, Mark Hemenway, Marjorie Moerschner, Lynn Sullivan, Dorothy Weitzman and Elizabeth Woodbridge. We were delighted to welcome our new coordinator, Carol Winton!

Mary Ann opened the meeting with a prayer.

Mark introduced our speaker, Susan Rourke, who is Director of Reintegration at the Billerica House of Correction. This is a new position at Billerica and is part of Human Services.

Susan was a state representative for several terms, got a masters degree in social work and most recently worked with day release men at the Community Counseling Center in Lowell, all while raising a family. Her new position is still getting organized, and she is very involved with all aspects of it.

When the program is fully in place it will include 5 new assessment specialists and 5 new case managers. The new workers will go through a 3-week orientation period.

Each new inmate will be visited and interviewed by an assessment worker. His intake evaluation goes into a 4-page folder to be kept in his file.

Each man also has a case manager who will follow him throughout his sentence, will help with family emergencies that may arise, such as accompanying him to a funeral, and will follow his progress after he leaves prison.

Susan consults with inmates referred to her by the case workers, She determines what the inmate will need after leaving prison and makes appropriate plans for him. Needs include physical and mental health needs. She has a list of resources available to ex-inmates and is constantly looking for more. Mass Health cards are available to ex-inmates but they can apply for the cards only after leaving prison.

The mean age of inmates at Billerica is now a surprising 36. Some men are in their 70s. Years ago the average inmate at Billerica was in the early 20s. Increases in domestic violence and drunk driving convictions probably account for some of the increase in age.

Susan would like to get a reentry panel set up at Billerica. Several other counties have them, including Suffolk. The Suffolk panel consists of representatives from the District Attorney and Attorney General's offices and the Dept of Revenue (concerned with child support,) a federal marshal, street workers and neighborhood police. The panel addresses groups of young men recently admitted to the prison, especially on violence charges,

and describes in graphic terms what will happen to them if they continue on this path. The idea is to scare the daylights out of them. Getting a panel up and running requires a lot of coordination among a lot of busy people but there seems to be evidence that this approach is effective.

Susan talked about the Lowell Community Counseling Center where she had been a counselor and where our art show was held (more about that later.) The Center is run by the Office of Community Counseling in collaboration with Probation and Parole, and is for men who are on day release. These are men who have been sentenced for drug or alcohol abuse, who are not a danger to society and who have a place to live which already has a phone line; this is so that they can be monitored by ankle bracelets or other electronic devices. Most of the men attend at least some substance abuse and counseling programs at the center; some men are looking for jobs, some have jobs, some do community service work and some go to college. Some go to the center just for urine testing. There are always two probation officers at the center. The Center has a part-time job developer. If a day-release man gets into trouble he'll have to serve out his sentence in prison.

Billerica now has a culinary arts program, with an emphasis on food safety, and the first class has just graduated. The class prepared the refreshments for the art show, which were outstanding- hearty sandwiches and wonderful pastries, all beautifully presented. The chefs were there to receive well deserved congratulations.

The prison plans to start an environmental services program and is considering a barbering course.

The art show was indeed a success, though we wish more people had been able to be there to enjoy it. It was great to see old friends among the staff and to meet new ones. The prisoners' art work, professionally framed and hung, looked very impressive. It will go on permanent display at the prison.

In a highlight of the afternoon, Sheriff DiPaola presented Beverly Wilkins with a plaque in recognition of her many years as MCPCC's coordinator and her work with and for the prison.

We thank Susan Rourke for visiting us and for sharing her enthusiasm with us! Reintegration planning is a benefit not just to prisoners reentering society, but also to the society into which they will be going.

NEXT MEETING: DECEMBER 13, 2006 at 7:00 PM,

SECOND CHURCH IN NEWTON, 60 HIGHLAND STREET, WEST NEWTON