Date & Time: Wednesday, September 21, 2022 from 4:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. ET
Webinar Fee: $65
This Program is Online Only
CPCS has approved this program for 2.0 credit hours for the Adult Criminal Trial, Adult Criminal Appeals, YAD Appeals, and CAFL panels.
Program Faculty
Hon. Marianne Hinkle - First Justice, Woburn Division, District Court Department
Sandra Brown, LCSW, OCC Program Manager- Pre-trial Services Program- Quincy
Representative Michael Day, Esq.- House Chair, Joint Committee on the Judiciary
Pamerson O. Ifill- Deputy Commissioner of Probation for Pre-trial Services
Vincent L. Lorenti, Esq.- Director of the Office of Community Corrections
Myriam E. Feliz- Assistant District Attorney, Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office
Rebecca Kozak, Esq.- Staff Attorney, Committee for Public Counsel Services, Public Defender Division Boston
Kyle Schadler, LICSW, OCC Program Manager- Community Justice Support Center- Pittsfield
Program Description
According to County Population Reports published by the Massachusetts Sheriff Association at Mass.gov, the average daily population of people sentenced to the House of Correction dropped 79% between July 2012 and July 2021 from 7,456 to 1,579. During the same period the average daily population of people held pending trial dropped just 21% from 5,319 to 4,182. The Prison Population Initiative indicates that Massachusetts has the lowest per capita incarceration rate in the United States at 275 per 100,000 as of September 2021. Yet, there are still 2.6Xs more people incarcerated per capita in Massachusetts than Canada. Still, Canada and Massachusetts have similar violent crime rates.
The negative impacts of incarceration are widely documented. Incarceration can result in trauma, homelessness, unemployment, family disconnection, and over time contribute to generational poverty. The burden of these negative impacts falls disproportionately on communities of color. A 2020 report from the Criminal Justice Policy Program at Harvard Law indicates that Black people are 7.9Xs more likely to be incarcerated than white people and Latinx people are 4.9Xs more likely to be incarcerated than white people. Since those held pre-trial make up such a large proportion of people incarcerated in the Commonwealth, one of the most important ways the system can address the negative impact of mass incarceration is to find more effective opportunities to avoid pre-trial detention.
The Criminal Justice Reform Acts of 2018 made significant policy changes to improve outcomes in criminal justice. Among these was the creation of a Pretrial Services Division at the MA Probation Service and expansion of the statutory bases for orders to Community Justice Support Centers. This program will provide an overview of developments at the Pretrial Service Division, describe pre-trial treatment and pre-trial services pathways to the Community Justice Support Center, and talk about the potential to use these pathways to reduce jail detention and expedite case resolution.
Program Agenda
l. Welcoming Remarks (2 minutes) - Vin Lorenti
ll. Keynote (7 minutes) - Representative Michael Day
lll. Pretrial Services Division (30 minutes)- Deputy Commissioner of Pretrial Services, Pamerson Ifill
lV. Remarks (6 minutes)- First Justice Hinkle
V. Pretrial Treatment and Pretrial Services at Community Justice Support Centers (15 minutes) - Director of Community Corrections, Vin Lorenti
Vl. Testimonials and Success Stories (15 minutes)- Sandra Brown, Kyle Schadler
VII. In Practice (15 minutes)- Judge Hinkle, Myriam Feliz, Rebecca Kozak
VIII. Question and Answer 15 minutes
Online registration is encouraged. For assistance, questions on group discounts, accommodations requests, special billing, program content, out-of-state CLE credits, and general CLE information contact Michael Saporito by email at msaporito@socialaw.com. Registrations accepted in order of receipt. Registration fees are non-refundable. Most Social Law Library CLE events are recorded. The recording is available by digital download, generally within a week after the program date. Most downloads include print material and are $19.95 each. This product purchase is separate from CLE registration and is not included in the price of a CLE registration. CLE credit, when applicable, is only granted when the live webinar is attended.