In the early 1990's the Commonwealth commenced a systemic effort to provide for more effective and efficient criminal justice sentencing and specifically address prison overcrowding. As a result, the Office of Community Corrections was established in 1996 by virtue of Massachusetts General Law chapter 211F. The Office of Community Corrections is a division of the Office of the Commissioner of Probation.

Enabling Legislation

The Office of Community Corrections is guided by its enabling legislation contained in Massachusetts General Law Chapter 211F:

"Section 2. (a) There is hereby established subject to appropriation within the office of the commissioner of probation an office of community corrections…

Whose purpose is to establish a continuum of community corrections programs and services statewide.

The Goal of this chapter is to ensure and promote public safety by developing community corrections programs for appropriate offenders."

Mission Statement

"Our Mission is the establishment of intermediate sanctions programs which offer a continuum of sanctions and services for probation, sheriffs, parole and the Department of Correction. This interagency and community collaboration enhances public safety."

This mission may be viewed as two fold. First, to develop community corrections programs which promote collaboration between criminal justice agencies. Second, to implement these programs as intermediate sanctions for probation, parole, sheriff's departments and the Department of Correction.

The practical goal is to place offenders in controlled, collaborative, effective and efficient intermediate sanctions thereby reducing fragmentation in criminal justice and providing a safe and cost effective method of supervising offenders. This effort is most clearly embodied in the Community Corrections Center initiative.

Community Corrections Centers (CCC)

Community Corrections Centers are community based, intensive supervision sites, which deliver bundled sanctions and services, including treatment and education, to high risk offenders via Intermediate Sanction Levels.

The CCC environment is geared toward substance abuse treatment, job readiness training and educational opportunities.

Among the sanctions delivered at community corrections centers are:

• electronic monitoring
• community service
• drug & alcohol testing
• day reporting
  

Electronic Monitoring is Among the Sanctions Provided at the CCC.

Among the services provided at community corrections centers are:

• substance abuse treatment
• GED/ABE/ESL or comparable educational component
• communicable disease prevention education
• job readiness training and placement
• referral to Department of Public Health or Department of Mental Health service providers
• women's services

GED instruction is among the services provided at the CCC.

Client Profile

Community corrections centers are designed to provide a criminal justice solution for a specific group of offenders. Intermediate Sanction Level III, IV is indicated for those offenders who posses a serious criminal history and are chronic substance abusers. In addition, this group may be underemployed or unemployed. Finally, this sanction is reserved for those whom hold a strong potential for eventual incarceration or have served a term of incarceration and are returning to the community.

Intermediate Sanction Levels

Intermediate Sanction Levels are adopted from the Massachusetts Sentencing Commission's Report to the General Court, April 10, 1996, "The commission... adopted the notion of a continuum of four levels of intermediate sanctions, based on the constraints on personal liberty associated with the sanction..." The intermediate sanction levels represent the practical method by which a combination of sanctions and services are assigned to offenders. Community corrections centers are designed to provide for the intensive supervision of offenders, delivering a bundled program of sanctions and services by virtue of intermediate sanction levels three and four.

Intermediate Sanction Level IV is the most intense level of community based, criminal justice supervision. Sanctions and services required at this level of supervision represent a twenty-four hour restriction upon the liberty of the offender. Level IV participants are required to report to the community corrections center for four to six hours per day, six days per week. Additionally, offenders placed at Intermediate Sanction Level IV are monitored twenty-four hours per day via electronic device, required to submit to the highest category of random drug and alcohol testing, and mandated to attend two four hour community service shifts per week.

Intermediate Sanction Level III is an intense level of community-based, criminal justice supervision. Sanctions and services required at this level of supervision represent a daily imposition upon the liberty of the offender. Level III participants are required to report to the community corrections center for one to four hours per day, three to five days per week. Offenders placed at Intermediate Sanction Level III may be monitored via electronic device. Level III also requires random drug and alcohol testing, and attendance at one four hour community service shift per week.

Intermediate Sanction Level II applies to offenders placed on standard probation supervision. Probationers may be ordered to complete community service, drug-testing, electronic monitoring or other community based sanction. Level II offenders may report to community corrections centers for specific sanctions, if available, but do not report to community corrections centers for programming.

Intermediate Sanction as a Condition

Assignment to a community corrections center must be ordered as an intermediate sanction condition of probation, parole, or pre-release. At disposition, only a judge can order participation in an intermediate sanction level at a community corrections center. As a method of re-integration, the Massachusetts Parole Board, county sheriff's departments, and the Department of Correction use their respective classification standards to order participation in an intermediate sanction level at a community corrections center.

Computer based evaluation and training increase participant opportunities.

Exclusions

Pursuant to state law, certain offenders are prohibited from sentence to community corrections programs.

Chapter 211F: Section 3. Sentence to community corrections program; duration; conditions; eligibility.

No offender shall be eligible for sentencing to a community corrections program who is:

(1) convicted of a crime that results in serious bodily harm or death to another person, excluding offenses in which negligence was the primary element,

(2) convicted of rape, attempted rape, or sexual assault, or

(3) convicted of a crime involving the use of a firearm.

Theoretical Framework

Community corrections center programming is based on a theoretical framework supported by research. This framework places high priority on the following programming concepts:

• Multi-disciplinary holistic approach - Criminal behavior must be addressed on every level and by every component of the criminal justice system. Weekly multi-disciplinary team meetings bring all community corrections collaborators together to discuss progress.



• Coercive treatment has positive outcomes - Treatment is not necessarily only successful when sought voluntarily. It can be imposed on those who represent a public safety threat, and meet reasonable success.



• Progressive education & vocational training have positive social impact- Participants who become equipped to contribute to society can fulfill their needs and become responsible citizens.



• Correctional interventions must follow principles of accountability, structure and supervision - Participant performance must result in consequence. Consequences for compliance or non-compliance must be predictable and consistently implemented by supervising agents and program staff.



• Services must be gender specific- Education, substance abuse treatment and mental health services are designed to meet the needs of both males and females in gender exclusive groups.



• Services must be culturally competent- Programming draws on community resources including bilingual tracks based on community needs.

Community service vans carry participants to and from the CCC and the job site.

Drug & Alcohol Testing

Drug testing is among the graduated sanctions available at the community corrections center in that participant behavior can be met with increased or decreased testing frequency based on drug testing results Community corrections centers provide drug testing for participants at intermediate sanction level II, III, and IV. The drug testing system is modeled after the American Probation and Parole Association's Drug Testing Guidelines and Practices for Adult Probation and Parole Agencies. Random drug testing is the primary method of monitoring coerced abstinence. Random methodology is preferred in order to control cost and reduce the opportunity to 'beat' the test.

Upon assignment to an intermediate sanction level, participants are assigned a drug testing color. The assigned color corresponds to the participant's risk level. Participants are required to call a toll free number daily in order to determine what color will be tested that day. When a participant's color is selected on a particular day, the participant is required to report for drug testing. Specimen collection is observed by staff. Testing is conducted on-site. On-site testing ensures immediate accountability for intermediate sanction level III, IV participants.

Urine specimens are screened for illicit drugs via enzymatic immunoassay technique. Federal cut-off levels promulgated by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration reduce false positives. Typically specimens are screened for four drugs of abuse, which may be altered based on demand. Gas chromatography/mass spectrometry technique is used for confirmation. Breath alcohol testing is conducted via portable Breathalyzer.

Community Service

As a mandatory component of intermediate sanction level III, IV. Community service provides for both punitive and rehabilitative objectives of criminal justice sanctions. First, community service represents a time constraint. Participant's are closely monitored by Community Service Program staff during their work hours. Second, participants undertake projects collectively encouraging a sense of cooperation and achievement as well as teaching practical skills.

Service projects are conducted for non-profit and government agencies throughout the Commonwealth. Participants are transported from the community corrections center to local project sites by van. Community service is also widely used at Intermediate Sanction Level II. See Community Service Page.

Community Corrections Center Specialization

Consistent with the theoretical framework, community corrections center programming seeks to address the specific issues confronting the populations which they monitor. For this reason, some community corrections centers serve specific populations. Women's Resources Centers (WRC) deliver sanctions and services exclusively to female offenders. Juvenile Resource Centers (JRC) deliver sanctions and services for juvenile offenders in collaboration with Juvenile Probation and the Department of Youth Services. Currently, there are Women's Resource Centers in Boston and Worcester. Juvenile Resource Centers for males are located in Boston and New Bedford.

CCC On-site Drug Testing Laboratory.

Sheriff's Department staff provide safety and security at the CCC.