Jim Cuddy’s letter defending DOC contract

May 25, 2006

Dear Staff:

On Sunday evening, May 14, 2006, WCVB Boston Channel 5 aired an Investigative Report on the South Middlesex Opportunity Council (SMOC)'s Re-entry Housing Program (RHP). Under a contract with the Massachusetts Department of Correction, the RHP program provides housing placement services for individuals leaving the state's correctional system who are otherwise at risk for homelessness. The Channel 5 report has aired several times and is still featured on WCVB-TV's website. I am assuming that you have either seen this story or have learned of it due to your connection with our organization.

The crux of the report appears to be that SMOC has a lucrative deal with the Massachusetts Department of Corrections (DOC) to warehouse Level III sex offenders in shelters that the agency operates in both Framingham and Worcester. Further, it implies that we are intentionally deceiving the public and, therefore, putting communities at risk.

After considerable reflection, I believe that the most helpful way to respond to this report is to present accurate information on the Re-entry Housing Program since the information presented in the Channel 5 story is misleading, incorrect, and inflammatory.

• As stated above, SMOC operates a Re-entry Housing Program under contract with the DOC. The contract began in 2003 and ends in June, 2006. The contract is currently being procured by DOC and SMOC has submitted a proposal to continue operating this program in FY07.
• The Re-entry Housing Program (RHP) is a statewide housing search program aimed at preventing homelessness and reducing recidivism for inmates leaving any one of the 17 DOC facilities in the Commonwealth.
• The RHP has 5 regional offices (Boston, Fall River, Lowell, Springfield and Worcester) where RHP Housing Specialists work together with DOC personnel in an attempt to secure appropriate housing for individuals prior to their release from prison. Office locations were established using DOC data about where released individuals located after leaving prison.
• RHP is a voluntary program. Prior to release, DOC staff identify inmates who they have deemed to be at the highest risk of homelessness because of an inadequate or insufficient housing plan. In other words, the individual has informed DOC that they have no place to live following release. DOC then refers the individual to SMOC. That individual then decides if he/she would like to voluntarily work with SMOC on securing housing.
• RHP serves all inmates at risk of homelessness referred by DOC, not just sex offenders. The program serves both men and women. All RHP participants, including sex offenders, who are being released have completed or wrapped their sentences or are on probation or parole. With or without assistance from the RHP these individuals will return to the community, many of them without any probation requirements. The RHP is an attempt to afford services which will assist such released individuals and enhance community safety.
• SMOC does not warehouse sex offenders from across the state in either its Framingham or Worcester shelter. Currently, there are no RHP clients in any of our shelters in the Metrowest area. There are 4 RHP clients in the Worcester shelters. Additionally, since its inception, fewer than 2% of _all_ RHP clients have settled in the Metrowest area, and fewer than _25%_ of all RHP clients have settled in Worcester County. Statewide, since the program's inception in July of 2003 through March of 2006, the RHP has worked to place 292 individuals in housing.

Further, from the inception of the contract through 3/31/06, RHP served a total of 107 inmates who were jailed for sex offenses. Of those 107 individuals, 6 lived in the Worcester shelter temporarily, and none stayed at our Framingham shelters. All 6 who stayed at the Worcester shelter had previous ties to the City. This number accounts for less than 6% of the total sex offenders served by the Re-entry Housing Program. It also represents less than 2% of the total number of currently registered sex offenders living in the City of Worcester. To put this number in context, there are currently 361 Level 2 and 3 sex offenders residing in Worcester and 99 level 2 and 3 sex offenders residing in Framingham according to the Massachusetts Sex Offender Registry (see www.Mass.gov/sorb).

• SMOC does not operate the RHP program or any of its other programs with deception or elusiveness, as claimed in the Channel 5 report, nor is the public at any greater risk due to the presence of sex offenders in the RHPs caseload. These individuals are returning to the community whether or not they are participants in the RHP. While we do not claim that the RHP is a complete solution to the problem of inmates returning to the community, it is one of the measures taken to enhance community safety. SMOC is not the problem; it is part of the solution.

Simply, the RHP is aimed at promoting public safety and reducing recidivism by giving recently released individuals the foundation for getting their lives back in order finding decent housing, getting a good job, reconnecting to family and establishing self-sufficiency. National research indicates that inmates who have a safe place to live upon release are less likely to re-offend. Inmates who have no income to pay for housing often have no place to live except finding temporary refuge in shelter until they obtain employment and can pay rent. RHP Housing Specialists assist RHP clients who are in shelters as they look for jobs, get treatment for substance abuse and mental health issues, and search for affordable housing.

If an ex-offender has a good paying job, a place to live, and hope for the future, numerous national studies show that he or she will be less likely to re-offend. It follows, therefore, that our communities will be safer as a result of any well-managed program that assists ex-offenders in reaching these goals. The RHP is such a program.

Regarding sex offenders, inmates who have committed sex offenses are released to the community every day, many with no probation or parole supervision. SMOC works closely with public safety officials when sex offenders stay in shelters in an effort to help monitor these individuals. We have strong working relationships with both Framingham and Worcester Police Departments and the Worcester and Framingham Probation offices. For example, if a sex offender lists a SMOC shelter as their address when registering with the police and then misses a night at the shelter, SMOC immediately reports the offender to the appropriate police department. If that individual is not in compliance with the Sex Offender Registry Board, a warrant will be issued for the ex-offender's arrest. Simply put, the fact that SMOC is working with sex offenders enhances public safety. Remember, these ex-offenders will be in your community with or without the support of the RHP. The RHP is an effort to reduce the risks to the community.

• The RHP contract that SMOC holds with the Commonwealth is not lucrative in any conceivable meaning of that term. The three-year $827,000 contract covers the basic operating cost of the program; salaries, office space, supplies and overhead. Nothing more, nothing less.
• Contract accountability standards are in place for RHP just like they are for every other contract SMOC holds with the Commonwealth. The DOC oversees the program regularly, conducts site visits, reviews client files and examines agency records. DOC personnel work closely with RHP personnel on a daily basis. Simply put, the Massachusetts Department of Corrections holds SMOC accountable for the services that it provides under this contract.**

There are two points that I would like to make. First, there is a real story to be told here. Unfortunately, it is not the one that appeared on television. Simply, the questions that should have been explored by the Channel 5 report are Where do people leaving prison go upon their release? What safeguards are in place to increase the probability that ex-offenders lead independent successful lives in their respective communities? The real story would have led with a segment on how the Massachusetts Department of Corrections proactively designed a program to address a social crisis (The Massachusetts Housing & Shelter Alliance reported that in the year 2000, more than 900 inmates were released directly to shelters from state and county correctional facilities.), and then proceeded to creatively secure the resources to address a community need. The DOC determined that a significant number of inmates were leaving their facilities with nowhere to live and no one to help them become economically and socially self-sufficient. The DOC then designed a program, secured the resources, and hired a vendor to deliver services to this group of ex-offenders with the aim of preventing homelessness or reducing stays in shelter while the ex-offender secured the resources to obtain housing.

The Channel 5 report could have continued with segments of an interview between an offender and an RHP Specialist at a correctional facility talking about how that individual would secure housing in the community of their choice.

The report could have concluded with an interview segment of the same inmate, six months later, living in their own room or apartment, having successfully found a job and begun the process of reintegrating into the community of their choice. Instead, Channel 5 chose to run a sensational program that did little more than heighten community fears while offering no suggestions or insights on how this community crisis could be addressed.

Second, there needs to be a public dialogue around the issues of criminal justice reentry policies, public safety and sex offenders. The Commonwealth is in need of a comprehensive policy regarding sex offenders who live in our communities. SMOC has consistently and assertively maintained a position that calls for mandatory post-release supervision of all sex offenders. Further, we believe that the post-release supervisory agencies (Probation or Parole) should have the authority to require offenders under its supervision to be fitted with GPS monitoring systems when appropriate.

In order for that public policy decision to become reality, all levels of government need to engage in a constructive dialogue and agree on a process to achieve public safety. Our communities need to be included in this discussion. Our society struggles with the issue of repeat criminal behavior and most particularly with the issue of sex offenders. People are understandably concerned about their safety and the safety of our children. The reality is that offenders will complete their prison sentences and return to our communities. SMOC has committed to being part of the safety net needed to address this problem.

In conclusion, SMOC is committed to preventing and ending homelessness through an effective and coordinated service delivery system, and in partnership with State and Federal agencies and other community-based organizations. We take pride in the effective services we have provided to a population very much at risk for homelessness in the RHP program. We take pride in our efforts to increase community safety. Our services have helped numerous individuals reintegrate into the community and begin the path toward economic and social self-sufficiency while working to insure that our communities remain safe.

Sincerely,

James T. Cuddy

Executive Director

JTC/sls

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