MIDDLESEX COUNTY PRISON COORDINATING COMMITTEE NEWSLETTER

MCPCC met on October 13, 2004 in West Newton. Present were Beverly Wilkins, Tom Crowther, Dorothy Weitzman, Elizabeth Woodbridge and Marjorie Moerschner. Elizabeth gave an opening prayer.

Tom reported that he and Bill Bergquist attended the September 20 conference held at the U of MA Medical School in Shrewsbury. The conference was entitled "Harm or Help? Responding to the Criminalization of Mental Illness and Addiction," and was sponsored by the Criminal Justice Policy Coalition (CJPC) with support from the MA chapter, National Association of Social Workers, (NASW) as well as the MA Organization for Addiction Recovery (MOAR) and the MA chapter, Alliance for the Mentally Ill (NAMI.) There were 75 people in attendance and several speakers.

The keynoter was Sheriff Ash from Hamden County. He has been sheriff there for 30 years and is highly regarded in this field. He believes there should be productive activity in prison, that the men should not just sit around. The average term of incarceration in the House of Correction is only 8 months, a very short time to try to turn around men whom society regards as failures. Sheriff Ash insists on a phi1osophy of respect for everyone. He believes that

prisons with more women working in them are less violent. His correction officers include minorities and women and are well educated people, some with masters degrees.

Dorothy was also at the conference as part of NASW. She reported that the sheriff of Worcester County is new and a group of people from that area would like to form a group similar to ours to work with him. It would be good to develop a set of standards for all correction facilities and staff along criminal justice lines.

Beverly reported that the grant which enabled Dr. Sperber to work with inmates at Billerica has run out. He's now involved in a project at McLean. The Div. of Mental Health is funding no more prison work.

The new Billerica prison will have 25 beds for psychiatric patients. There are plans to have two diagnostic psychiatric units, one in the western part of the state, one in the eastern. Will Billerica's 25 beds be this eastern facility?

The writing contest at the prison has been completed and winners chosen. We'll try to print some when space permits.

At the next meeting Brian Gendron will be our speaker, talking perhaps about the new prison among other things.

NEXT MEETING: NOVEMBER 10 AT 7:00 PM

SECOND CHURCH IN NEWTON, 60 HIGHLAND STREET, WEST NEWTON