Press Release  Massachusetts Probation Commissioner Edward J. Dolan is Recipient of prestigious Maud Booth Correctional Services Award

Boston, MA — Massachusetts Commissioner of Probation Edward J. Dolan was presented with the prestigious Maud Booth Correctional Services Award today during a luncheon hosted by the Volunteers of America (VOP) at the Hynes Convention Center.  The award is an honor bestowed on a leader in the correctional field whose work demonstrates compassion and belief in the human potential of offenders and ex-offenders.

Dolan has served as Probation Commissioner for the past seven years and is in his second five-year term after being reappointed commissioner by Massachusetts Trial Court Chief Justice Paula Carey in 2018.  Under Dolan’s leadership, the Massachusetts Probation Service has become a leader in Criminal Justice Reform in the Bay State and across the nation. MPS has added a number of initiatives and programs to reduce recidivism such as a new Pre-Trial Services initiative; expanded services at the 18 Community Correction Centers across the state; transportation support for access to and from these centers; a special program for emerging adults, ages 18 to 24; reentry housing and programming for ex-offenders transitioning from correctional facilities including a program for women probationers; and, an innovative pilot partnering with MassHealth, other correctional agencies and designated health centers to provide probationers with comprehensive case management for medical, behavioral health care and addiction treatment services.

“It is an honor to receive the Maude Booth Correctional Services Award. In addition to being named to a distinguished list of prior recipients, that this recognition comes from such a wonderful organization as the Volunteers of America (VOA) makes it all the more meaningful. The VOA has positively impacted the lives of millions of Americans, focusing on the neediest among us, dating back to it is founding in 1896,” Dolan said.

Prior to his appointment as Probation Commissioner, Dolan was the Commissioner of the Department of Youth Services. He served as Chief Operating Officer at Massachusetts Half Way Houses, Inc., and a Forensic Manager for the Massachusetts Department of Mental health. Dolan was Executive Director of the Massachusetts Parole Board and its Director of Research, Planning and Systems Development. Dolan’s past positions include serving as court planner on the staff of the Trial Court Chief Administrative Justice Arthur Mason. The Commissioner earned a master’s degree in public administration from the Maxwell School at Syracuse University and a bachelor’s degree in government from the University of Massachusetts-Amherst.

Dolan is among a list of deserving individuals that include corrections professionals “who have dedicated themselves to ‘improving public policies, programs, and service delivery in the criminal justice system,” according to VOA.  

The award given in Maud Booth’s name honors individuals whose leadership has made an impact on improving public policies, programs, and services in the criminal justice field. Booth and her husband, Ballington, co-founded Volunteers of America with a promise to “go wherever we are needed and do whatever comes to hand.” She is considered one of the first great prison reformers of the 20^th century. Booth’s tireless advocacy led to the gradual elimination of “the lock step, ball and chain, prison stripes, and the indiscriminate use of solitary confinement,” according to VOA. She also established the nation’s first system of halfway houses to help inmates transition after their sentences were over.

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