MIDDLESEX COUNTY PRISON COORDINATING COMMITTEE NEWSLETTER

MCPCC met on Sept. 14, 2005 in West Newton. Mary Ann Donaldson, Beverly Wilkins, Tom Crowther, Elizabeth Woodbridge, Dorothy Weitzman and Marjorie Moerschner were present.

Tom has made several visits recently to a man who is serving a 10-month sentence at Billerica and who has some psychiatric problems. He is receiving his regular meds and is in an anger management program. Tom said that it generally takes about half an hour after he arrives before the prisoner comes to the visiting room. The visit can be for two hours, but that includes the time spent waiting. The visiting room consists of about twenty stools on each side of a wire screen, which allows no physical contact between visitor and prisoner. The room is usually filled with the families, including young children, of prisoners and is noisy, making conversation difficult.

Sheriff DiPaola is enthusiastic about our proposal to have a public art exhibit of prisoners' work. We're looking for a suitable venue, perhaps in the vicinity of Lowell. We have applied for a small grant to cover the cost of frames.

You may have read that after Hurricane Katrina, Sheriff DiPaola assembled a caravan which included sophisticated communications equipment and with some of his deputies headed south. On the way the sheriff spoke to Rep. Ed Markey, who was able to reach Gov. Blanco's office, which directed them to a devastated parish of 45,000 people near Lake Ponchartrain. These people had been completely cut off from the outside world for a week and were about to give up hope when the caravan arrived. This is an inspiring story!

Dorothy said that the advisory committee to the Dept. of Corrections, recommended by the Harshbarger Report, was set up in June; unfortunately it may go out of business in December.

Beverly's annual report is included with this mailing. We have accomplished a lot on very short shoestring!

Tom's annual treasurer's report showed that we are still hanging in there. We are very grateful to all of you who have contributed.

We do need more people to be on our executive committee. If you're interested, please come to a meeting. Everyone is always welcome! Beverly is setting up a program of interesting speakers for the coming year, including Lee Gartenburg!

Beverly will be away in October so our next meeting will be in November.

NEXT MEETING: 7:00 pm WEDNESDAY, NOV. 9, 2005

SECOND CHURCH IN NEWTON, 60 HIGHLAND STREET, WEST NEWTON