Category Archives: Prison & the justice system

What’s the answer to MA Dismal Lifer Parole Rate?

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parole

Picture curtesy of The Wrongful Convictions Blog

If you haven’t read my article about the Massachusetts Parole Board’s practice if not policy of throwing lifers under the bus, you might do that before you read this post. I am a firm believer that Parole Boards, as Innocence Project expert Phil Locke says, “operate in the shadow of the justice system.” And most people have no idea what is going on when someone comes up for parole, is refused parole, or spend time in prison after parole is granted waiting for release.

That’s why this particular case I wrote about in the Lowell Sun is so aggregregious. Please take a look. It begins:

“This week the Massachusetts Parole Board is meeting to redo regulations. One that should be at the top of its list is how to effectively parole prisoners who have some form of mental illness.

The United States now has 10 times more people in its prisons and jails than in its mental hospitals. As of 2013, approximately 25 percent of Massachusetts state prisoners (counties claim a much higher rate) had open mental- health cases. If you think the state has a parole system that is not broken in this arena, take a look at the Wilfred Dacier case.

No one disputes that Dacier committed an incredibly brutal crime. On Oct. 21, 1995, he stabbed his sister, Susan Dacier, 14 times in a domestic dispute. Wilfred Dacier pleaded guilty to second-degree murder, and was sentenced to life, eligible for parole in 15 years.

But his case reveals a Parole Board that seems bent on not releasing those who have committed life crimes — even if they have proven themselves no longer a risk to reoffend; a board that refuses to pay for mental-health evaluations that are important for parolees’ treatment; and a prisoner who is stuck behind bars solely because of his mental-health issues and not because he is a danger to the public…..” More

I’ll be writing a lot more about lifer cases. Stay tuned. We have to change our course.

A Letter From a Prisoner-Advocate

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This was sent to me in April and I have gained permission to publish it here. How the DOC prevents contact between prisoners and volunteers, in my opinion, impedes growth. How much prisoners need support from those on the outside!
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Jean,
Hello this is Blase Provitola. Even though you do not know who I am I could not resist contacting you.

There are 2 reasons ; the first that I worked with Karter Reed for years in MCI Shirley, since 2000, in a Menswork Men’s Circle that meets every Tues night and the Menswork curriculm classes I teach there. Second, what a gift your book is. To bring much needed awareness to people and especially the system to stop the long term punishment/altering of young men.

I work with men younger than Karter and it’s so sad to witness the struggle and the impact of prison life on them. So thanks for your work and commitment of course to Karter for having the courage to speak his truth with sensitivity and his willingness to help make a difference from his life experience.

I’m heading in to Porter Square on Tuesday and look forward to meeting you. I’m hoping Karter will be there. I can not make contact with him unless the DOC lets me and they won’t. I would not want to jeopardize his parole. He’s a friend who I care about and he ‘s such a great power of example to those trying to live above the line. Please send my love to him!

In spirit
Blase

Menswork,Inc.

Who Will Be Your Next Sheriff?

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See my newest post at Boston Magazine on “Who Will Be Your Next Sheriff?”

“You might not think a sheriff’s important to your life, but guess what? Massachusetts sheriffs are in office for six years, even longer than the four years that governors serve. And since this coming November 2016, in all 14 counties, sheriffs are up for reelection, you might want to consider who’s going to manage your county’s prisons and jails, and determine how more than half a billion dollars of taxpayer money will be spent…” More

MA ACTION ALERT- Contact Senators NOW for JJ

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THIS MESSAGE IS FROM CITIZENS FOR JUVENILE JUSTICE.
WE NEED YOU TO ACT TODAY!!home-header.CFJJAs many of you know, CfJJ and many others have been advocating for comprehensive, juvenile justice reform for the last year and a half.  Yesterday, the MA Senate — with amazing work from dedicated, tireless champions Senator Karen Spilka, Senator Cynthia Creem, Senator Will Brownsberger, and Senator Dan Wolf — have reported a bill that would result in meaningful, critical progress on a huge host of issues.  We are tremendously excited about this opportunity, but WE NEED YOUR HELP NOW to get this a favorable vote.The Massachusetts Senate will be debating the Juvenile Justice omnibus bill on Tuesday.We need you to reach out to your State Senators over the weekend through social media and ask your Senators to vote YES on Senate bill 2417.

Sample Talking Points (highlight 2 or 3 in your social media posts to your legislators)

  • Vote #YESonS2417 Tuesday!  MA Kids deserve smart JJ Reform. #mapoli 
  • This bill would divert youth with low level offenses from going deeper into the justice system and will improve both public safety and outcomes for youth who do enter the system. #YESonS2417
  • Ban practices that can cause short and long-term harm to healthy development like arresting and arraigning very young children and indiscriminate shackling of children in court #YESonS2417 
  • Massachusetts spends hundreds of thousands of dollars to incarcerate youth who are of no threat to our communities, harming children and making them more likely to commit future offenses. #YESonS2417 
  • Allow for the expungement juvenile records in certain cases to ensure that youth are not burdened by a minor record as they enter adulthood  #ExpungeMA #YESonS2417
  • Keep very young, elementary school age children out of our delinquency system #YESonS2417 
  • Ensure that children are no longer treated more harshly than adults for certain minor offenses #YESonS2417 
  • Promote developmentally appropriate programming for young adults who are incarcerated #YESonS2417
  • By failing to collect basic information on justice-involved children and youth, MA can not set policy and funding decision to assess and ensure the fairness and effectiveness of the juvenile justice system. #YESonS2417
  • Create a task force to analyze and make recommendations to improve data collection and transparency in the juvenile justice system #YESonS2417

Thank you!

 

ACTION ALERT: Massachusetts Parole Board!

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From the Coalition for Effective Public Safety, of which I am a member: we need Massachusetts to take action:

PLEASE CALL OR EMAIL THE GOVERNOR’S OFFICE NOW
ABOUT THE UPCOMING VACANCY ON THE PAROLE BOARD

On June 2, 2016, the term of office of one of the present Parole Board members, Sheila Dupre, ends.  The Governor will likely be reviewing applications for that position and nominating someone quite soon for the opening. The Coalition for Effective Public Safety would like you to take action now!

Please tell the Governor: As a concerned resident of Massachusetts, I am urging the Governor to fill Shiela Dupre’s seat by nominating another person for the Parole Board with training and experience in psychology, psychiatry, sociology, or social work, specifically treating substance use, addiction and mental health issues. Currently only one member has such experience.The addition of such a board member will also add additional and needed expertise to the many hearings involving adolescent behavior and crime. We do not need another person on the Board with a background in law enforcement.

1) Governor Charlie Baker – call 617.725.4005 

2) constituent.services@state.ma.us – ask that the email be forwarded to the Governor

A letter which explains why this action is necessary, the constitution of the current Parole Board, and background information on the alert is available if it might be useful for your message to the Governor. Please note that more than thirty-five organizations have signed on. If you want to read the letter before you make the call, contact me.

This is a time sensitive issue, so please Contact Governor Charlie Baker now. Tell him we need a new Parole Board member with training and experience in psychology, psychiatry, sociology, or social work, specifically treating substance use, addiction and mental health issues.

Thank you for your action NOW
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