MIDDLESEX COUNTY PRISON COORDINATING COMMITTEE NEWSLETTER
MCPCC met on 11/12/'08 in West Newton. Those present were Chairperson
Mary Ann Donaldson, Coordinator Carol Winton, Treasurer Tom Crowther,
Secretary Marjorie Moerschner, Bill Bergquist, Lynne Sullivan, Dorothy Weitzman and Elizabeth
Woodbridge. Our guest speaker was Tom Larkin.
Tom Larkin is a retired school counselor and psychologist, and has also
been a Middlesex County Commissioner. He now leads the Smart Recovery program
at the Billerica House of Correction. He started as a volunteer at Billerica in
2000, and though he continues to volunteer there and elsewhere, his work at
Billerica is now partly funded by a grant.
Smart Recovery or SMART (Self-Management and Recovery Training) is an
established, not for profit organization, with a web site: www.smartrecovery.org There
are about 25 groups in Massachusetts, meeting in churches and hospitals or on
college campuses. Its major focus is on recovery from alcohol and drug addictions.
Addictions often cover up other problems such as anger, relationship
difficulties and compulsive gambling- Smart Recovery's principles work on all
problems.
It's estimated
that at least 60 to 70% of prison inmates have addiction problems and the
recidivism rate is two out of three unless the addiction is cured. The goal for
the men in Smart Recovery at Billerica is to be able through sobriety to be
more likely to stay out of prison. The recidivism rate for those cured of their
addiction is only one out of three.
Tom Larkin
makes a presentation about Smart Recovery once a month to inmates in the new
men pod, usually about 50 men, who are required to attend as part of their
orientation. They get good time for attending. Those who are interested are encouraged
to join a smaller group. They don't get good time for that, but if they attend
6 meetings they get a certificate and that goes on their record as a plus.
There are currently 13 groups at Billerica scattered through all parts of the
prison, including work release and protective custody, with 9 to 15 men in each
group. Tom leads most of the groups with the help of a trained volunteer
facilitator. Some inmates become facilitators. Tom gets discussion started.
There is role-playing. He wants to get the men thinking. A starting point often
is to ask them to do a cost vs. benefit analysis of substance abuse. All
meetings last an hour.
The program
emphasizes rational thinking, and the rethinking and reinterpreting of events
that have caused trouble. SMART is based on cognitive psychology and uses
Rational-Emotive Behavioral Therapy (REBT) techniques based on psychologist Albert Ellis' theory of
addiction. The idea is that rational thinking leads to changes in feelings and
behaviors while irrational thinking reinforces addictive behavior. The meetings
use a stages of change model to help participants move
from "not thinking about changing" through to staying sober. There
are tools to get people ready to think seriously about change. If they're not
ready it won't work.
The prison has a large AA or 12-step program. Inmates can choose whether
to go to weekly AA or Smart Recovery meetings. The majority choose AA. The two
programs are compatible but some men do better with one than the other, and
there are referrals back and forth.
There are differences in the programs. Smart Recovery is secular and doesn't deal with the idea of a Higher Power. It does have a system of values, which can be embraced through sobriety: family, health, education etc.; spirituality can be one of these values. Smart Recovery doesn't label- (I am an alcoholic.) There are no bad people, only bad behaviors. It doesn't use sponsors.
Three or four relapses can be expected along the way to staying sober. The relapse is not as important as how the person thinks about it and about what caused it.
Tom also
volunteers at Shirley prison and at the Lowell Community Correctional Center.
We thank Tom Larkin for coming to speak to us, for his very
able and comprehensive presentation, and for the good work he is doing.
Those of you who would like to receive future
newsletters by e-mail rather than by regular mail please notify us by sending
an e-mail to: mcpccl@verizon.net.
Our next meeting will be a business meeting.
NEXT MEETING: DECEMBER 10 at 7 PM, SECOND
CHURCH IN NEWTON,
60 HIGHLAND STREET, WEST NEWTON