February 14, 2005
LT. GOV. HEALEY FILES BILL TO MANDATE POST-RELEASE SUPERVISION
Move will cut down on recidivism among former inmates
Saying that nearly half of former inmates in Massachusetts re-offend just one year after being released from prison, the Romney Administration today filed legislation requiring post-release supervision for all convicted felons after they serve their jail time.
“Each year, too many crimes are committed by ex-inmates. Governor Romney and I are determined to raise the standards in our criminal justice system to keep communities safe in Massachusetts,” said Lieutenant Governor Kerry Healey, who outlined the proposal.
Healey added, “Establishing a permanent system that prepares ex-inmates for life outside the prison walls gives them the best opportunity to become law-abiding citizens who can care for their families and contribute to their communities.”
Each year in Massachusetts, approximately 20,000 inmates return to cities and towns without the supervision and support necessary to lead a productive and crime-free life. Offenders often leave jail unprepared to overcome obstacles, such as drug and alcohol addictions as well as finding employment and housing. According to a 2002 “Comprehensive Recidivism Study” by the Massachusetts Sentencing Commission, 49.1 percent of all offenders recidivate after just one year.
Healey’s legislation reduces this trend by calling for mandatory post-release supervision for all individuals serving time in a state prison or house of correction. At the time of sentencing, the judge will also impose a period of post-release supervision. The time of the supervision will be 25 percent of the maximum sentence imposed but not less than nine months.
Mandatory post-release supervision was one of the key recommendations of the Governor’s Commission on Criminal Justice Innovation, which Healey chaired.
For those offenders who have been sentenced to more than a year in a house of correction or jail or for any duration of time to a state prison, the state parole board will manage their post-release supervision. For those sentenced to a jail or house of correction for less than a year, the probation department will monitor them.
Sexually dangerous persons on lifetime community parole are not eligible to have their sentences decreased under this proposal.
Healey said that reducing recidivism rates among former inmates through post-release supervision will also save taxpayers millions of dollars each year, noting that it costs up to $43,000 each year to incarcerate one inmate.
To support former inmates transitioning back into society, the Romney Administration opened eight regional re-entry centers last fall across the Commonwealth. The re-entry centers offer employment advice, vocational training, mental health services, substance abuse treatment and housing services for prisoners as they complete their sentences.
“Twenty thousand offenders return to our communities every year,” said state Parole Board Chair Maureen Walsh. “Punishment and incarceration play an important role in controlling the prison population, but without appropriate treatment and rehabilitative programs, both inside and outside the prison walls, offenders will more often than not return to a life of crime.”
Former inmates who violate conditions of a substance abuse program may have their supervision increased to accommodate for appropriate treatment. In addition, released offenders who violate the conditions of their supervision could be subject to intermediate sanctions, including increased monitoring or possible re-incarceration.
Under the Healey proposal, the Parole Board Chair and the Probation Commissioner will be charged with standardizing mandatory post-release supervision regulations and criteria for early completion of the program, such as success in finding employment, establishing housing and completing all counseling and treatment programs.
Essex County Sheriff Frank Cousins, who co-chaired the Governor’s Commission on Criminal Justice Innovation’s subcommittee on Re-Entry and Post-Release Supervision, lauded the proposal. Sheriff Cousins said, “I commend the Governor and Lieutenant Governor for undertaking a thoughtful and thorough review of critical issues impacting the ‘corrections continuum.’ Through this effort we identified flaws in the current system, and developed meaningful recommendations to better serve the public at large as well as the returning offender.”
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