News  Brockton Community Justice Support Center to host grand re-opening and ribbon-cutting

Brockton, MA — MEDIA ADVISORY

The Office of Community Corrections is a division of the Massachusetts Probation Service.

This ceremony will feature remarks by Massachusetts Trial Court Chief Justice Jeffrey Locke, Massachusetts Probation Commissioner Edward Dolan, Brockton District Court First Justice Michael A. Vitali, and Old Colony YMCA President and CEO Vincent Marturano. The event will include "Reflections on the City of Champions" by Angela Orlandi, Brockton CJSC Program Manager, client testimonials, and a tour of the facility.

The Support Centers, an alternative to prison, were credited in a University of Pennsylvania (UPENN) study for reducing recidivism rates by up to 36 percent among probationers who attend. This success is measured by the reduction in arraignments for clients within one year of them being referred or sentenced to a center.

“The grand re-openings mark the addition of an important resource to the work of the Trial Court and the Massachusetts Probation Service in serving the supervision, rehabilitation and public safety needs of communities across the Commonwealth. The centers provide a critical service hub for a variety of criminal justice populations, including Probation, Pretrial, sentenced and re-entry caseloads; but, also paroled and DOC (Department of Corrections) and HOC (House of Corrections) discharge populations,’’ said Massachusetts Probation Service Commissioner Edward Dolan. 

There are currently 19 Support Centers in the Commonwealth with two in development in Haverhill and Lynn. Grand re-openings have already taken place at the Boston, Taunton, Northampton, Springfield, Lawrence, and Plymouth Support Centers. 

Vincent Lorenti, OCC Director, said of the grand re-opening, “The Community Justice Support Centers are about making the community stronger. This center will make a difference by giving people that come before the court—because of bad decision making and struggles with substance use disorder—the opportunity to change their lives through treatment, education, employment, and accountability.”