Correctional Funding Commission

Special Commission on Correctional Funding
State House, Room 428
Boston, MA 02133
February 14, 2020, 11am

Meeting Minutes

Commissioners Present:
Thomas Preston
Ben Forman
Emi Joy
Michael Day, State Representative, Co-Chair
Mike Ashe, Hampden County Sheriff (ret.)
Mike Widmer
Francesca Spina
Christina Crowley
James Morton
Edward Dolan
Kevin Keefe
Gerard Horgan
Tom Hodgson, Bristol County Sheriff
Kevin Coppinger, Essex County Sheriff
Will Brownsberger, State Senator, Co-Chair

Commissioners Absent:
Kate Cook
Timothy Whelan, State Representative (for beginning of meeting)
Gerard Horgan
Ryan Fattman, State Senator

State Representative Michael Day was introduced as the new Co-Chair of the Commission.

 The Commissioners voted to approve the minutes from January 10, 2020 and January 24, 2020.

Senator Brownsberger provided an update on the status of the RFP, which was in draft form but still required further legal review.

Stephen Amos and Mike Jackson of the National Institute of Corrections’ Jails Division provided an overview of NIC operations.

The Commission discussed how to proceed, given that NIC advised that staffing analysis was more complicated than the current statement of work allowed.

The Commission decided, at Sheriff Hodgson’s suggestion, that Bristol County could be the subject of a prototype staffing analysis by NIC  that would inform the commission’s further work. Sheriff Coppinger also offered his facilities as a subject for study.

NIC said they could provide a statement of work that could get someone on the ground in 6-8 weeks to do this work.

The Commission decided to meet again on March 6^th at 11am.

Special Commission on Correctional Funding
Finance and Data Subcommittees
January 10, 2020, 11am
State House, Room 428, Boston, MA 02133

Meeting Minutes

Commissioners Present:

Emi Joy
Ben Forman
Mike Widmer
Will Brownsberger, Co-Chair, State Senator
Edward Dolan, Commissioner
James Morton
Kate Cook
Gianni Maffeo
Mike Ashe, Hampden County Sheriff (ret.)
Tim Whelan, State Representative
Tom Hodgson, Bristol County Sheriff          
Kevin Coppinger, Essex County Sheriff
Gerard Horgan
Tom Preston

Commissioners Absent (Not Necessarily Members of Subcommittee):

Denise Garlick, Co-Chair, State Representative
Ryan Fattman, State Senator
Kevin Keefe
Christina Crowley
Francesca Spina

The Commissioners introduced themselves, and Mike Widmer and Ben Forman were voted in to chair the subcommittee. The Commissioners discussed a scope of work for a consultant presented by Senator Brownsberger and decided to include as part of the scope of work, in addition to what the Senator presented, a study of employee recruitment and retention. The Commissioners decided to go ahead with developing an RFP based on that scope of work, with the plan to bring the selection of the consultant back to the Commission.

Special Commission on Correctional Funding
MAT and Programming Subcommittees
January 10, 2020, 2pm
State House, Room 428, Boston, MA 02133

Meeting Minutes

Commissioners Present:
Will Brownsberger, Co-Chair, State Senator
Denise Garlick, State Representative
Mike Ashe, Hampden County Sheriff (ret.)
Thomas Hodgson, Bristol County Sheriff
Kevin Coppinger, Essex County Sheriff
Gerard Horgan
Christina Crowley
Kevin Keefe

Commissioners Absent (Not Necessarily Members of Subcommittee):
Ben Forman
Timothy R. Whelan, State Representative
Ryan Fattman, State Senator
Emi Joy
Thomas Preston
Gianni Maffeo
James Morton
Edward J. Dolan
Kate R. Cook
Francesca Spina

Representative Garlick provided a memorandum, summarizing information relative to medication assisted treatment and programming provided by the Massachusetts Sheriffs Association and the Department of Corrections.

Commissioners discussed visiting Houses of Corrections with MAT programs and their interest in seeking data for cost of materials, staffing, timing, and training.

Sheriff Coppinger of Essex County provided descriptions of MAT programs being offered. Essex County reported that the provider for their MAT programs is Wellpath. They are seeing successful results as of September 1 and they believe this is due to counseling being offered in addition to MAT. Essex is carefully tracking real-time data so the program can be adjusted in the moment. All data is being submitted to the Department of Public Health.

Commissioners discussed general programming offered by correctional facilities. The sheriffs described how inmates are connected with programming and how they offered programs through outside vendors or volunteer organizations.

The Commissioners discussed a need for a survey to understand programming outcomes so funding can be directed accordingly.

Special Commission on Correctional Funding
Essex County House of Corrections, Public Training Room
20 Manning Avenue
Middleton, MA
January 24, 2020, 11am

Meeting Minutes

Commissioners Present:
Thomas Preston
Ben Forman
Emi Joy
Kate Cook
Mike Ashe, Hampden County Sheriff (ret.)
Mike Widmer
Francesca Spina
Christina Crowley
James Morton
Edward Dolan
Kevin Keefe
Gerard Horgan
Kevin Coppinger, Essex County Sheriff
Will Brownsberger, State Senator, Co-Chair

Commissioners Absent:
House Co-Chair (not yet named)
Timothy Whelan, State Representative
Gianni Maffeo
Thomas M. Hodgson, Bristol County Sheriff

The Commissioners reviewed the topics discussed at the subcommittee meetings held on January 10, 2020.

Senator Brownsberger indicated that Representative Garlick would no longer be chairing the Commission based on a new responsibility in the House of Representatives and that he was awaiting word of who would act as his Co-Chair.

The Commissioners decided to invite the National Institute of Corrections to their next meeting and to ask them for technical assistance in reviewing the scope of work for the consultant.

Sheriff Coppinger and correctional staff provided an overview of their operations and Sheriff Coppinger invited Commissioners and members of the public to join him on a tour of his facilities.

Commission on Corrections

November 15, 2019

I. Meeting Commences: Co-Chair’s Representative Garlick and Senator Brownsberger convene the
meeting at 11:00 AM

II. Attendance

a. Present

i. Representative Denise Garlick – Vice Chair of Ways and Means

ii. Senator Will Brownsberger – Senate President Pro Tempore

iii. Representative Timothy Whelan – Appointed by the House Minority Leader

iv. Kate Cook – Appointed by the Boston Bar Association

v. Edward Dolan – Commissioner of Probation

vi. James Morton – Appointed by Chief Justice Paula Carey

vii. Tom Preston – Deputy Commissioner of Administration, Department of Corrections

viii. Emi Joy – CFO, Executive Office of Public Safety and Security

ix. Kevin Keefe – Executive Director of Massachusetts Parole Board

x. Cristina Crowley – Appointed by Massachusetts Bar Association

xi. Mike Widmer – Appointed by the Speaker of the House

xii. Gianni Maffeo – Assistant Budget Director, Executive Office of Administration and
Finance

xiii. Essex County Sheriff Kevin F. Coppinger

xix. Bristol County Sheriff Thomas M. Hodgson

b. Absent

i. Ben Forman – Appointed by the Senate President

ii. Senator Viriato M. deMacedo – Appointed by the Senate Minority Leader

iii. Three Governor Appointments

III. Opening presentation by Sheriffs on the Commission

a. Sheriffs Coppinger and Hodgson presented to the commission an overview of their roles as
sheriffs. These presentations covered topics of prevention initiatives, entry and treatment,
and reentry challenges.

b. Following the presentations members of the commission provided questions and comments
to the sheriffs.

IV. Review of data requests to be submitted to Sheriffs and DOC

a. Sheriffs and Jim Walsh of the Massachusetts Sheriffs Association shall provide an inventory
of data available, by December 15 to Chairs of the Commission.
b. Tom Preston of the Department of Corrections shall provide an inventory of data available,
by facility, by December 15 to Chairs of the Commission.

V. Creation of subcommittees

a. Commission will meet every two to three months subcommittees must meet in between
these times and be prepared to report back to full commission

b. Finance

i. Rep. Whelan (Arranging 1st subcommittee meeting)

ii. Mike Widmer

iii. Kate Cook

iv. Sheriff Hodgson

v. Gianni Maffeo

vi. Sheriff Coppinger

c. MAT Program

i. Sheriff Coppinger (Arranging 1^st subcommittee meeting)

ii. Kevin Keefe

d. Data Analysis

i. Tom Preston (Arranging 1st subcommittee meeting)

ii. Commissioner Dolan

iii. James Morton

iv. Emi Joy

e. General programming

i. Cristina Crowley (Arranging 1^st subcommittee meeting)

ii. Sheriff Hodgson

iii. Kevin Keefe

VI. Additional Tasks to be Completed

a. Confirm agenda and details for January 24 meeting

b. Communicate charges for each subcommittee

VII. Meeting Adjourned at 12:29PM

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