Clarksburg Citizens and Business Advisory Group
Monthly Meeting
February 6, 2002
Members Attending: Robert Carter, Kent Mason, Marsha Engel, Jane Sachs, Carl Hamstead, Mark Schulman, Michael Lash, Mary Nicki Terry, John Lavigne, Art Wallenstein, Debra Lyons-Prince, Susan Wiant, Donald Martin The Pre-Release Services Community Advisory Board Meeting began at 3:40 P.M. by Chairperson John Lavigne.
Art Wallenstein announced that DOCR has a website listed under Public Safety of Montgomery County. The minutes of the MCDC, MCCF, and PRS Community Advisory Committees will be posted on this website to assist the public's interest in the Department. The Community Advisory Board meetings are open to the public and the dates of the meetings for the entire year will be listed in the future.
Art Wallenstein presented information on re-entry for local jails as the guest speaker at the NACO ' Public Safety Committee Meeting in Branson , Missouri on January 24th. He then was requested to present further information by e-mail on January 25th to the Assistant Attorney General on re-entry. (Art's letter on this subject was e-mailed to all Board members and was also included in the handouts at this meeting.) Discussion followed concerning NACO (National Association of Counties) receiving federal grant monies to study offender releases. They did not count releases from county and local jails - only state and federal releases were considered. There are over one million county and local releases a year. NACO must consider all of the releases ' county, local, state, and federal. Criminal justice costs at the state and federal level were the only consideration in the report. Local criminal justice costs include the Public Defenders' Office, the State's Attorneys Office, detention, plus treatment. Criminal justice officials in higher levels need to pay attention to the dollars, intakes and releases, and the average daily populations at all levels. Kent Mason stated that we need to shake the 'policy tree' ' Montgomery County is doing re-entry treatment into the community more than any other county in the country. NACO's perception is that the county and local level has 'mom and pop' offenders, not hard-core offenders. Art and the NACO Director have been requested to present more information on the re-entry for local jails to the United States Justice Department on February 8th and to the Maryland Congressional Delegation on Capital Hill on February 15th.
Art Wallenstein discussed a current DOCR offender who was sentenced to eighteen months for leaving the scene of an accident that resulted in a pedestrian's death. If the offender had not left the scene, he probably would not have received a sentence. Since the Court sentenced the offender to eighteen months, he received local time instead of State time. Sue Wiant and Art stated that the family is very upset that the person is now on the CART Program and living at home. Art promised the victim's family to review the case and notify the family of his findings in writing. The family expected that when the offender received eighteen months that he would serve the entire sentence in the Detention Center . However, the Court commitment papers did not state this nor did it state that the offender could not be transferred to PRC or CART. Even though the family was involved in the sentencing process/plea bargaining, they did not understand that the offender could receive good conduct time, industrial time, and special program time. Thus, the offender would not serve the entire eighteen months. Art stated that it is not DOCR's job to retrial the case, our job is to rehabilitate. He also stated that although this was a horrible crime, the offender got exactly what the law provided and that DOCR staff has done a perfect job on this case. Michael Lash thanked Sue and Art for clarifying the case stating that the press did not cover these relevant details.
Don Martin asked if there are any offenses that exclude PRC/CART participation. Sue stated that originally stranger-to-stranger crimes needed to be reviewed by the State's Attorneys Office prior to transfer to PRC or CART. However, Bob Dean changed this policy stating that DOCR needed to review these cases and make the decision on a case-by-case basis. The State's Attorneys Office believed the corrections professionals were the ones to determine the appropriateness of transfer to pre-release programs. The sentencing judge must also approve each case prior to transfer from MCDC to PRC or CART. Sue stated that she could only recall one case where a judge stated no PRC.
The Department of Correction and Rehabilitation is taking PRC escapes very seriously and Art Wallenstein and PRC staff are now testifying in court on these cases and asking for State time. Three of the last four offenders charged with escape from PRC have received State time. DOCR wants offenders to know the seriousness of escaping from PRC or the CART Program and the consequences that will occur. Currently, there is one State's Attorney who specifically works on escape cases from PRC/CART and a PRC staff person who specializes in assisting the State's Attorneys Office.
Marsha Engel, Supervisor of the CART Program, discussed the County's Hotspot Team. Each of the CART Caseworkers has been assigned to one of the four Hotspot Teams throughout the County. The four Hotspot Teams meet in Silver Spring , Wheaton , Takoma Park , and Gaithersburg /
Germantown . The teams are made up of representatives from the Police Department, Parole and Probation, the Governor's Office, Juvenile Justice, and DOCR. Each member of the team must sign a privacy agreement. The Hotspot Team program was created by the Governor's Office to assist in communication between the Police Department and Parole and Probation in monitoring probations, providing treatment intervention, and protecting the community. DOCR staff's participation in the Hotspot Teams is not to help the Department but to be part of this community support venture. Sue stated that she sees this as a real plus for CART staff dealing with domestic violence and how to better protect families from an abusive spouse. The Hotspot Teams receive offender release lists from the State and DOCR will also start providing such a list. Currently, the Police officers go with the Parole and Probation agents to home visits and are able to see if other crimes are going on in the neighborhoods. Bob Carter of the Police Department stated that the Hotspot Team started in Silver Spring in 1994 through a grant.
Sue Wiant announced the promotion of Jane Sachs. Jane has been promoted from Supervisor of Administration and Training to the Supervisor of Unit IV. We are hoping to have Jane's former position exempted from the current County freeze so another person can be hired into the Supervisor of Administration and Training position.
Art discussed the County budget for FY03 and hopes all public safety employees will be exempt from any RIF 's. The County currently has a $2,000,000 deficit. Don Martin stated that the Chief of Adult Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services will not be replaced and that Daryl Plevy will remain Acting Chief. He also stated that Health and Human Services is troubled right now and staff are scrambling to help people - the five sections of Health and Human Services are going to be reduced to three. Don stated that we need both State and County money to help fund mental health services and in particular non-profit services that are not receiving sufficient funding.
Mike Lash, Coordinator of the St. James Prison Ministry, stated that they received a grant to do training tapes for other churches to encourage building prison ministry. Each tape has course notes and a list of additional reading materials available. One tape is on substance abuse done by Patrick Connealy from the JAS Program. The second tape is on the importance of listening done by Mike Lash.
The next meeting of the Community Advisory Board is Wednesday, May 8, 2002 . By this meeting, more information will be available about the FY03 budget.