 Citizens for Criminal Justice Reform
Newsletter - March 27, 2019
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Circles of Support program on reentry after incarceration
April 6, 2019, 9:30-11:00am
 St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, 21 Centre Street, Concord, NH
The Prison Concerns Committee of
The Episcopal Church of New Hampshire
and Citizens for Criminal Justice Reform
invites you to meet:
THOMAS LITTLE & BARBARA BARRON
Come and Learn how to help prisoners rejoin society
Two former inmates from New York City, Thomas Little and Barbara Barron, will speak at St. Paul’s Church on Saturday, April 6. The free event runs from 9:30 a.m. to noon at 21 Centre Street in Concord, NH. They will talk about their transitions from cellblock to neighborhood and the crucial help they got from caring volunteers.
Joining them is Cheryl Stromski, the newest board member for Citizens for Criminal Justice Reform. She is a New Hampshire ministry candidate leading workshops around the state on preparing a congregation to welcome parolees.
The free event is made possible by the Circles of Support Raising My Voice leadership and training course for formerly incarcerated people coming home to Harlem from prison. The Episcopal Diocese of New Hampshire and the New Hampshire Council of Churches are co-sponsoring the program.
We believe those most affected by incarceration are in the best position to find solutions.
Circles of Support is a partnership of Episcopal Churches in Manhattan and grass roots non-profit organizations supporting successful reentry into communities and connection with families for formerly incarcerated people.
For more information contact: CCJR Board Member, Chris Dornin at 603-228-9610 or clddornin@aol.com.
If You Would Like to Use or See a Flyer Click Here: Flyer
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Healing Connections - Rethinking How we Keep Our Communities Safe
Saturday, April 6 & Sunday April 7, 2019
9 am - 4 pm (Breakfast & Registration 8:30 - 9 am)
The Healing Connections Conference will welcome Dr. Alissa Ackerman, noted researcher, restorative justice practitioner and assault survivor, along with a distinguished group of speakers and therapists who will share their experiences and expertise. Attendees will learn about restorative justice and discuss common sense reforms that can create safer communities and offer healing for all.
Who Should Attend
People who have experienced sexual harm, treatment providers, individuals who have perpetrated sexual harm, people who are registered and their family members, judges, prosecutors, public defenders, law enforcement agencies, advocates, legislators, local officials, criminal justice reformers, clergy members and other invited parties.
NOTE: A few CCJR Board members plan to attend this conference. If you would like to connect and possible ride-share please contact us.
Featured Speakers, Presenters & Clinicians
Read full biograpies and see agenda at http://www.onestandardofjustice.com
What is Restorative Justice?
Restorative Justice (RJ) is a framework that focuses on the harm caused, not the criminal statute. RJ allows the voices of survivors to be heard. We must make the topic of sexual violence and victimization less taboo. We must also give individuals who have committed sexual harm the opportunity to share with those who have experienced victimization. This can bring about true accountability, healing and restoration to all.
RJ allows us to lean in to the hard conversations. It is messy, tough and personal. It is also rewarding and just.
Location: Lyceum Conference Center - 227 Lawrence Street - Hartford, CT 06106
Tickets $0 - $25 Click Here
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Have you ever feel led to get involved in Prison Ministries?
Here is an opportunity that CCJR is pleased to pass on. . .
In spite of the recent addition of 3 new volunteers, additional volunteers are needed to become Mentors in local churches, and to become Volunteers in the active and growing Prison Ministries of Rise Again and to support the Mobile Mission teams.
Prison Ministries:
Genesis Process: This year’s Genesis Process for Change group in the NH State Prison for Men with begin April 25, 2019. John and Peter are excited to launch the group so that as many as 20 men may begin the process of experiencing God’s healing to overcome their addictions and other negative coping behaviors. The goal is to create an atmosphere where God can “restore the years that the locusts have eaten…” Joel 2:25.
Counseling: John meets 4-5 men each week in the Chapel at the NH State Prison for Men for one-on-one pastoral counseling. This ministry continues to expand! Several new men have begun counseling sessions, necessitating every-other-week appointment scheduling. These appointments provide a much deeper level of relationship between John and the men so they can work on day-to-day issues and discipleship together.
Conquer Series group: The Conquer Series group began in January and will be graduating 7 men in late March. This 10-week video series addresses issues of sexual purity and sexual addiction head-on; an area that most men struggle with. It has been amazing and humbling to witness the transparency and vulnerability of the men as they talk about their past hurts, their histories of sexual addiction, and their current struggles and victories with sexual purity. The Conquer Series group will become an annual part of the Healing Ministries offerings at the Men’s Prison.
NH Reentry Taskforce: The Reentry Taskforce works to assist newly-released Returning Citizens as they transition to society, post-incarceration. The Taskforce is currently working to complete its website and to expand its partnerships with area Bridge churches. Grace Capital Church continues to minister to several women who have successfully transitioned out of the prison system. There are a few Bridge Churches in the Concord and Manchester areas that are set up to mentor men and women, but we need more. Our greatest need is for people to become Mentors who will walk beside Returning Citizens. If you know of someone who may be interested in training, please let us know by contacting:
John LaCourse
Healing Ministries Director
Rise Again Outreach
You can contact John via email just click here eMail
READ THEIR NEWSLETTER ABOUT THIS EVENT - CLICK HERE
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This year the annual reporting was held on March 19, 2019 in the law offices located on 2 Delta Drive, Concord, NH. We are sharing the reports of our Chairman, Secretary, Treasurer, Legislative Policy Committee Chairman, and two ad-hoc committee chairs. We are asking all our individual, family and organization level members to please send in their 2019 annual membership dues. Here
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The Annual Report of the
Chairman of the Board
January 1, 2018 – December 31, 2018
To our executive officers: Vice Chairman, Michael Sheehan, Secretary Jeremy Olson, Treasurer Sandra McGonagle, the executive board, members and friends of Citizens for Criminal Justice Reform. I am reporting as Chairman for the fiscal year of January 1, 2018 through December 31, 2018.
Rehabilitation works and Keeps our Society Safer than Punishment Alone
Crime hurts and as an organization we deeply care about anyone who has been victimized in anyway. Our goal is always "no more victims." Unfortunately, while the justice system may take many wise steps to reduce crime, they often miss the mark in lowering recidivism and repeat crime.
Good people do bad things. Just this past Friday there was a horrific shooting in Alton. An eleven year old adopted boy shot to death his mother, and gravely wounded his father by shooting him several times. The father later died in intensive care. This was a well known local family active in their Alton church and community. Horrific, unthinkable situation.
I believe that every life is valuable and redeemable. Throughout my ministerial life, serving as a pastor, counselor, or in prison ministry I have witnessed tremendous miracles of change in the lives of men and women who did some very bad things.
The primarily reason I got involved with CCJR is because I thought I could help make a difference in the lives of people who many view as disposable. As an organization we attempt to make a difference on an impersonal level through advocacy and lobbying but I have always tried to have some level of personal involvement by reaching out to individuals.
Over the years there have been many opportunities to reach out to hurting people. I offer to listen and provide counsel and advice as people go through or come out of the ordeal of the justice system. One of my privileges has been to offer pre or post incarceration counseling or to visit people in the hospital or officiate a wedding for those I have come to love and appreciate. I do this on my on apart from CCJR and without compensation.
People who have been directly impacted by crime and the criminal justice system have and do play a significant role in CCJR as members and volunteers. All of you here tonight deeply care, or you wouldn’t be here. I want to express my appreciation for every board and committee member both past and present. You have given of your time and resources and that has not gone unnoticed by me.
While this report covers our fiscal year I want to briefly go back to April of 2016 and give a special thanks to Attorney Mike Sheehan for stepping into the role of chairman when I stepped down between April 2016 and April 2017. I did remain on the board as vice-chair but after the death of my daughter in September 2016 and the implantation of a pacemaker in January of 2017, I did take a few months of leave.
In April of 2017, I agreed to re-assume the position of chair with the request that Mike stay on as vice chair and all current board members remain in their positions. Please accept my sincere thanks for doing just that.
We couldn’t do what we do without each of you.
Jeremy, Chris, Mike, and I have all been here since the begging in January 2011. Tom joined us in July of 2011. Sandra and Richard came on board in 2012. I want to state clearly that a seven and eight year volunteer commitment is no small thing. I appreciate each of you and the work and dedication you continue to give. We still need you.
Executive Secretary —
Jeremy has served as secretary almost since day one. We are blessed to have him. His clear, concise minutes are delivered via email before we arrive home from the board meeting. Please be more faithful to review the minutes and use them as a reminder for the tasks that we voted to do.
Treasure System —
In August of 2018 we saw the resignation of our Treasurer, Sharon Drolet. Sharon was with us three years and we appreciate her input and service. I want to express my appreciation to Sandra McGonagle for her willingness to take on the important task of serving as treasurer again and for picking up the slack by going back to fill in the missing months left by Sharon’s departure. I so appreciate her. Over our nine years we have had three treasurers and no one has come close to her attention, detail and timeliness in fulfilling her responsibilities. This is a huge commitment and we owe her our sincere thanks.
Our newest members are a great additions to our board, cause and mission. Ray, Melody, Leann, Sherry and Stephanie, each of you bring unique gifts and talents to the organization. I am excited to see you find the position you best fit in and accomplish many good things in the years ahead.
Once again thank you to Mike. His involvement with CCJR gives us the credibility and status of having a seasoned criminal attorney on our board and that is very important. Along with that benefit of his legal expertise we have the use of this board room and for that I know we are all grateful.
If you haven’t done it in awhile take a minute to look at the Who We Are bio page on our website. It is pretty impressive.
Prospects and Volunteers —
From the outset I have sought out and courted new board prospects and other volunteers. I am always trying to encourage key people to make the commitment and join the cause. We have seen some come and some go.
- Peter Bearse – 2 years
- Phil Horner – 6 years
- Morrison Bonpasse – 1 Year
- Kate Kirkwood – 4 years
- Jean Metzger – 1 Year
- Susan Nagelsen – 1 Year
- Attorney Marsha Thunberg- 6 Mos
- Marjorie Mann – 1 Year
- Becky McGuire – 1 Year
- Ashley Turner – 2 months
- Wanda Duryea – 3 Years
- Beatrice Coulter – 3 Years
- Laurie Methven – 3 Years
- Sharon Drolet – 3 Years
Since we all have a circle of influence I am asking for all the help you can give to recruit new volunteers. New board members not only help us share the work load but bring new skills, gifts and graces. They also bring new life and enthusiasm that helps all of us be refreshed. I am in communication with some very impressive people that I hope with join us on the board or volunteer in some manner.
As chairman, I am responsible for the oversight of the organization to ensure we are adhering to our mission and policies.
Specifically, a chairman is charged with running an effective and efficient board meeting that keeps us moving forward. I develop and print the monthly agenda, keeping it fresh and current by removing expired or completed items; while maintaining and tracking old business not yet completed or resolved.
I am responsible for running board meetings that keep us moving forward. The agenda is not only a list of the business at hand it is our road map for long range plans. That is the very reason why I keep reminding you to review the minutes and refer back to it during the 30 days between meetings to make sure what we voted on is carried out.
During 2018, we met just nine of the 12 months for regularly scheduled board meetings. January’s meeting was cancelled due to a snow storm; the other two were due to a lack of quorum or other logistics. Please do the best you can to set aside the third Tuesday of every month as an ongoing commitment.
My goal from the onset has been to organize and operate CCJR in a professional, well-run manner. In many ways, a non-profit organization is like a business. It is no mistake that the organization is formed as a corporation with by-laws and policies. Like any corporation, the association has officers and directors who are responsible for running the corporation in a professional manner and who can be held accountable to the members or shareholders for failing to do so.
Granted, our corporation is not in the business of making a profit or issuing dividends to our members, but like any non-profit organization we are still responsible for operating a budget and maintaining and using the money of our donors responsibly.
Early on in our journey we understood that we might be dealing with the governor, the attorney general, DOC officials, state legislators, the press and others officials. I believe if we are to be taken seriously, everything from our dress and decorum at the state house, to our logo, pamphlets, letterhead, website, Facebook and Twitter pages, business cards, monthly agendas and monthly and annual reports should all make one clear statement:
“We take pride in what we do, and we are a well organized professional group of people,
who expect to be taken seriously.”
Everything I have worked on in my almost seven years as chairman has been with that goal in mind. I hope that you feel we have accomplished at least some measure of that objective.
Policies and Procedures —
Over the years I created several policies for the board to approve in order to help us run efficiently and to provide clear expectations for those who graciously volunteer. At some point I hope to put together a CCJR policy handbook.
These have included:
- Amendments to the original Articles of Incorporation adopted on July 17, 2012 and refiled with the State.
- The design and creation of our pamphlet.
- The design and creation of our stationary.
- The uniform look of all our social media.
- Policy Statement A—Meeting Procedure:
- Policy Statement B—Check and Reimbursement Policy:
- Policy Statement C—PayPal Account: policy and procedure for receipt and transfer of funds.
- Policy Statement D—Guest Attendance Policy: visiting board meetings.
- Policy Statement E—90 Day Leave of Absence for Board member Emergencies.
- Board Member Application and Job Description —
- Board Procedure Policy — How we operate
- Officer Job Descriptions and Duties for Chair, Vice chair, Secretary and Treasurer
- Membership Committee and Secretary Job Description —
- LPC Committee Policy:Job description and duties.
- Social Planning and Events Committee —
- Editorial Committee Job Description —
- Social Media Manager and Committee Job Description —
- Ad-hoc Committee Job Description —
Email Newsletters —
In March of 2017, I signed up for a Mail Chimp account and designed our email format newsletter. The goal was to create a uniformed look for all of our social media. Our first newsletter went out in April of 2017. During 2018, I sent out eight editions that went to some 489 subscribers. The mailing list is constantly changing, which is why Chris is no longer sending out newsletters or legislation alerts on his own. Everything goes through Mail Chimp.
Our subscriber list is constantly changing which is why we no longer contact anyone with our CCJR email newsletter unless it is through the subscription list. If someone clicks unsubscribe and indicates that they no longer want to receive CCJR information we must honor that. When a newsletter is sent it is auto posted to Facebook, Twitter and our website. Please note that you can go to our website and read most of our past issues.
Website —
Over the years, I have spent a great deal of time tweaking and updating our website. On our website you can become a member, make a donation, sign up for our newsletter, contact our executive officers, click on our Amazon Smile shopping charity link, go to our Facebook and Twitter pages, read the OZ blog stories, see and apply for open volunteer positions, Spread the Word to a friend, and read local and national articles. I recently added a web page of many relevant court-decisions on the registry, resident restriction, and similar issues. Did you know that there is a video page with 15 or more videos of personal stories, TED talks etc? Just look at all those blue links which is only part of our website resources. Since the Drupal format we use for our website is outdated we need to upgrade to something more current. Depending on a visitors browser they might see a warning triangle when they go to Become a Member or our Donation page. They should not worry about this. When they choose the level of membership or the click the Donate button they are taken to the highly secure and safe PayPal page. All financial transactions are completely safe, but we need to change the website so that it our stories and information is secure from any potential hacker.
Amazon Smile —
In October of 2015, I signed CCJR up under Amazon’s charitable program called Amazon Smile. To date we have received $76.21 from Amazon purchases. Network for Good, we have also received anonymous donations from Facebook viewers totaling $60.00 in 2018.
Twitter —
Last month the board reviewed and approved a new job description for a Social Media Committee and Media Manager. Next I appointed Stephanie as our Social Media Manager. The plan was to turn over Twitter and see how she does and giver her time to see if she likes the responsibility.
If successful, I would be turning over Facebook and possibility the website as well. Our Twitter page was basically just sitting there with occasional Tweets. With Stephanie at the helm last month our followers went from 17 to 70 and she is following and monitoring some 360 people or organizations. She is creatively using hash tags and algorithms to get the most exposure making regular Tweets and re-tweets keeping our page fresh and relevant. We clearly have the right person doing the right job. We are off to a good start.
Grants & Inmate Newsletters —
During 2018 we received our first grant from the Anne Frey Slade Foundation. This money was to do our first inmate newsletter. Leann DeHart agreed to serve and spearhead this project. She will be reporting as chairman of the grant and newsletter project later in this newsletter. Chris helped write some of the articles and I designed and created the newsletters into a .pdf format sending it to a local printer. Thanks to Leann and her committee for meeting and adding inmate addresses and getting them mailed.
Mail and Email and Phone Contacts —
In February, Tom became our communication secretary and does a good job in providing a prompt reply to inmates and others who contact us by U.S. mail. He then passes it on to me so I can decide if a more detailed response is required. Mike handles any legal inquiries. Responding in a timely manner to mail inquires is something we need to work on. While I still answer and respond to quite a few phone calls, Richard has agreed to make return calls when I need him.
Membership Secretary —
Since January of 2012, I have also been serving as temporary membership secretary. While are records are up-to-date and I send a welcome letter to every new member or donor I am not doing this job as well as it needs to be done. There is simply too much on my plate. We need to be proactive in membership contact and recruitment. Ray was voted in as Membership Secretary, but due to limitations of time and the chaotic conditions of my office and home during remodeling I have failed to get together with him for his training. To-date he has not begun this critical job.
It is my hope and desire to do this in the very near future. Stephanie has also joined the membership committee and agreed to sit in on the training and help in membership recruitment. In fact we should all be helping in this effort. Our membership base should be a lot larger than it is. Every parent, spouse or loved one of an inmate should be a member. Every inmate should be a member. Please remember that unless you are a Life-Time Member your membership is renewable annually. Every member is encouraged to also donate liberally. We count on your faithful and liberal support.
Membership
Membership fees are important and help keep the organization going, but we also need people to become regular financial sponsors. The bottom line is that we need regular ongoing financial support in order to accomplish our goals. Please remember that membership fees and donations are our only source of funding and all membership other than Life-Time is renewable annually. Please send in your annual membership fees.
We have made a difference, but we can do so much more with your faithful support. The larger our membership base, the louder our voice! Membership is your opportunity to be part of that voice! With your help and support we look forward to a productive year.
All gifts are tax deductible.
BBQ —
On Saturday, September 15, 2019 we held our annual BBQ, and once again Life Time members Greg and Debra agreed to open their home again. Many thanks go to the great work done by Melody and Leann for acquiring awesome donations that we used for our auction. We had a fair attendance and raised $1,444.00 with a profit of $1,107.49. I am looking for someone to step into the roll of Social Events and Planning Chairman.
Litigation —
In 2011 and during 2012, Phil Horner spent many hours writing and editing a brief to challenge the unconstitutionality of the annual registration fee. We had $100 donated for this action. If this is a dead issue I would like the ligation or financial committee to contact the donor and ask what he would like us to do with the donation.
Back in Nov 2014 California attorney Janice Bellucci sent us $500 dollars, with the condition it be used for to assist in our own sex offender litigation here in NH. Additionally a member on her non-profit board also sent us $500 earmarked for offender ligation. We haven’t used it yet.
While most litigation would cost more than a thousand dollars our litigation committee should try and focus on a plan to use these funds. I believe some of the $7,500 donated from someone Chris knows could also be used for litigation. Once we decide on a litigation path I believe we would find additional donors.
The victories and changes that have occurred across the country have primary been through the courts, not the legislative branch. After all these years, I would really like to see us challenge and win a significant legal victory.
Legislative Policy Committee (LPC) —
Since our conception Chris Dornin has been our primary state house advocator. Over the years he has had help from numerous people most notably Peter Bearse and Tom Adams. During the last year Sandra and Melody have also attended hearings and DOC meetings. We have Leann, Sherry and Elizabeth expressing a willingness to get involved. Chris will be stepping back from his state house activity and we need someone to take over as the LPC chairman, and additional people to serve on the legislative committee. If you are interested please contact me.
Another need is finding the right person to become the Public Relations Spokesperson. This person might work in conjunction with the LPC chairman or even wear both hats.
Plans and Goals — Some of our committees have never met yet. Please make the responsibilities you were given a priority over the next 8-9 months.
- Litigation – We appointed an Ad-hoc committee (Mike, Richard, LeAnn, Chris)
- Fund Raising and Membership – We appointed an Ad-hoc committee: (Rich, Ray, Tom Sandra, Chris)
- Public Viewing of Untouchable & Frightening Myth & Other Movies – Ad-hoc Committee (Rich, Sandra, Ray, Greg)
- Continue Inmate Newsletters – Ad-hoc Committee (Leann, Rich, Sandra, Ray, Greg)
- 2019 BBQ – Social Events Chairman Needed
Over the last nine years we have helped facilitate some important changes. I will mention just a few:
- Preventing the enforcement of residency restrictions.
- Stopping an Allenstown Police officer form outing the parents of school room children on the registry
- Stopping the shipment of NH prisoners to other state prisons
- Helped prevent the privatization of the NH prison system,
- Getting prison earned time passed,
- Supported the repeal of the death penalty,
- Exposed the issues and backlog of the prison SOT treatment program resulting in the audit of the sex offender therapeutic program; causing the DOC to have to go through the rule making process.
When I meet with every new board prospect we usually discuss the many need for changes in the NH justice and DOC systems. I tell them that we are only limited by the time and resources of our volunteers. We are an all volunteer organization so we rely on the gift of time. The more volunteers we have, the more we can do. The more donations we receive or money we raise the more we can afford to do.
Finally, I return to the goal and concept of rehabilitation, restoration and successful reintegration. I have often told parishioners’ and prisoners alike that if God could forgive me; He will forgive you.
I have often challenged prisoners to believe that they could change and go out and be productive members of society. I still believe that. I have witnessed and had the privilege to play a small part in hundreds of success stories. These individuals have not only changed their destructive, abusive, criminal behavior, but now live as productive members of society. They are husbands, wives, fathers and mothers and grandparents trying to live normal lives like the rest of society. Often due to their own baggage or restrictions like the registry, public scorn and rejection they have incredible obstacles to overcome.
We do not overlook the harm, or the pain that crime causes. Their is horrific damage to innocent lives who have incredible stories of survival. We rejoice with them for being over-comers. However, healing and change can come to both victim and perpetrator alike. Both are needed if we are to stop the cycles of crime and abuse. Why wouldn't we want that? I do not want anyone leaving the prison who hasn't assume responsibility for their actions or received the help they need to never hurt someone again.
Yes, many incarcerated men and women and former offenders did some very harmful things, which makes their current success story so much more impressive. Rehabilitative and restoration type justice strives for that outcome. To give people the opportunity to repent (change direction) and help them by providing the tools they need in order to change. People can and do change. Don't ever doubt that for yourself or others. When they do let's celebrate that change.
Throwing people in cages does little to change hearts and minds. Rehabilitation, counseling, prison ministries, family support and family programs, along with job training, can and does produce reformed lives. They all help create contributing members of society who remain crime free and keep the community safer.
We believe it is possible and preferable to have a system of justice that not only protects the community but promotes the rehabilitation of offenders and the well being of inmate families during and after incarceration. Family love and support is perhaps the most effective motivator and resource for someone incarcerated to change. Sadly, some prisoners have not had a visit from a friend or loved one in years, even decades.
Some of the most precious moments I have had was speaking with inmates who believe that they are unloved without hope. As I have shared the truth that God loves them, I love them, and that they are worthy of forgiveness I have witnessed tears flowing down their cheeks and the first steps toward believing that the past doesn't have to dictate the future. Will you help us in this endeavor?
The simple truth is most people get out of prison. It is or should be in society’s interest to make sure they receive the best practices available to help ensure people have the opportunity to change.
Thank you for being part of the solution and thank you for serving.
I respectfully submit my report,
Dr. Robert Paradise, Ph.D.
Chairman
We are very grateful for the recent anonymous donations made through Facebook and our website. |
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 The Annual Report of the
Executive Secretary
January 1, 2019 – December 31, 2019
As Secretary for Citizens for Criminal Justice Reform – New Hampshire (CCJR-NH), I am responsible for maintaining the official records of our organization. I take minutes at the Board meetings, maintain the official copy of the non-profit’s Bylaws and policy documents, and keep copies of all other materials promulgated at Board meetings including meeting agendas, Treasurer’s reports, and committee reports and their meeting minutes.
I typically send via email a draft of the meeting minutes out to the entire Board for review at the conclusion of each meeting, and then, after receiving comments and corrections from other Board members, prepare a final draft to be approved at the next regular Board meeting, which takes place on the third Tuesday of every month. Board members are requested to send corrections to me prior to the weekend preceding, so I can send the final draft to the Chairman and the Board by that Sunday.
I was one of the founding Board members of CCJR-NH and have been the organization’s Secretary since its inception in January, 2011.
As an information technology professional, I was involved in the initial design and development of CCJR-NH’s website, www.ccjrnh.org, and I provide hosting free of charge to the organization through my own small business, EPRCI
In addition to my duties as Secretary, I have at times worked closely with our Legislative Policy Committee in reviewing criminal justice–related legislation pending at the State House. I have been an activist for other pro-liberty causes and organizations in New Hampshire since 2007, and have often provided useful background information and other insights on pending legislation, and connected our volunteers to supportive legislators. I have also helped CCJR-NH liaise with other like-minded organizations advocating for criminal
justice reform at the State House, such as the New Hampshire Liberty Alliance (NHLA) and the N.H. Coalition for Common Sense Marijuana Policy, and have helped bring together
liberals and libertarians where their values coincide.
Jeremy J. Olson
CCJR Executive Secretary
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 ANNUAL REPORT OF THE TREASURERJanuary 1, 2018 - December 31, 2019
Sandra McGonagle, Treasurer
The Annual Report contained herein represents the financial transactions of CCJR for the past fiscal year, 2018. Monthly financial reporting has been provided to each CCJR Board Member at the monthly meetings.
The financial records of CCJR are maintained and reported on the software, My Checkbook. The program provides accurate and detailed accounting of all income and expense transactions.
In 2018, the balance forwarded was $11,237.43. A total income of $4,645.24 was received, primarily in the form of memberships, pledges, and donations. Expenses totaled $1,852,33, which were used primarily for the purposes of office supplies, postage, and printing, as well as utility costs for internet access. The balance on hand on December 31, 2018 was $14,030.34.
Special Funds remaining in accrual, and included in the balance on hand on December 31, 2018 include:
Litigation Fund: $1,200.00
Federal Law Suit: $100.00
A special thanks to our Chairman, Dr. Robert Paradise, for his on-going support and assistance in assuring that financial records of CCJR are current and accurate.
Thank you for the opportunity to serve as Treasurer of CCJR.
Respectfully submitted,
Sandra T. McGonagle, Treasurer
You can view a .pdf copy of the FINANCIAL REVIEW OF THE CCJR BOOKS HERE
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 Report of the
Legis lative Policy Committee Chair
January 1, 2018 - December 31, 2018
By Chris Dornin, LPC Chairman and Co-founder
Our nonprofit agency is in a strong position at the New Hampshire State House, even though our only bill this year failed 19-0 in committee. It was our 41st piece of legislation in nearly a decade of working with lawmakers to change three understaffed inmate warehouses into a restorative prison and parole system. As you will see below, our HB 229 failed because much of what we asked for has already happened. We tracked and lobbied on 15 crucial bills, a team effort that included Tom Adams, Melody Bourgeois, Leann DeHart, Richard Mori, Greg Papia, Ray Ellsworth, Cheryl Stromski and former CCJR board members Wanda Duryea and Beatrice Coulter. The latter two have fought tirelessly for building a new secure psychiatric unit outside the prison. That long-needed project is finally on track.
People need to take over for me next year as our main voice with lawmakers. I’ll be available to help choose our positions on key bills and plan our testimony. But others must go to the public hearings, recruit our bill sponsors and publish our State House updates. It may be a long time before one of our bills becomes law. But our presence keeps the body of crime law from getting worse as fast it might without our resistance.
That was too harsh. We have helped kill some terrible proposals over the years, including efforts to privatize the whole prison system, ship 600 inmates to Arizona and skew the state constitution in favor of prosecutors. We helped pass the finest crime bill of the last 50 years, SB 500 in 2010. It reduced the prison census by 300 before it was gutted a year later. This session our side actually took the offensive. Every bad bill has died as of the halfway point, and some really good ones should become law.
The five-year struggle over DOC rule making
Helen Hanks, the commissioner of Corrections, will present 120 pages of draft administrative rules for her department this spring at a public hearing we need to pack. You’ll know the date as soon as we find out. An administrative rule is like a departmental policy, except that a rule has the force of law.
The five senators and five representatives on the Joint Legislative Committee for Administrative Rules may ratify the full package of rules despite our concerns, but we need to voice them. This is one of our few chances to hold the Department of Corrections accountable in front of people with broad power over it. Prison officials know that. We’ve been working with them this winter on the language for the new rules, with some substantial progress, but the two sides remain at odds on several issues.
The biggest sticking point is 15 pages of regulations for the sexual offender treatment program. We secured a damning performance audit of that program in November 2016. Two researchers spent eight months interviewing sexual offender treatment staff, watching their operations and reading clinical records. The resulting report confirmed that 200 sexual offenders every year were missing their earliest release dates. Corrections had created its own hostile parole board just for these prisoners. That clandestine agency within Corrections had a deceptive name, the administrative review committee (ARC).
The audit showed that the statutory parole board always approved the advice of the ARC. Parole officials had little choice. The prison consistently withheld from them vital information on sexual offenders. According to page 33 of the performance audit, the Department of Corrections never gave the Parole Board a sexual offender’s “...assessment scores, treatment progress, level of participation in treatment and whether they took any responsibility for their crimes.”
For many years there was no mention of the ARC in prison policies. It didn’t exist anywhere on paper. By law, that program should have gone through administrative rule making in front of lawmakers before it began operations. In other words, it ran illegally for at least four years. If those 200 inmates per year left prison a year late, and most of them did, they were costing taxpayers up to $7,000,000 each year for the unlawful behavior of the Department of Corrections. We will ask lawmakers on the rules committee to abolish the Administrative Review Committee as a prohibitively expensive former outlaw agency. Somebody needs to request that.
We will also ask that the sexual offender treatment program start at least four years before an inmate’s minimum parole date, to make sure everyone completes it on time. We learned at the preliminary public hearing on the draft administrative rules last month that the department has already made this huge reform. Commissioner Hanks said the program even has five teachers today and a manager. That’s enough manpower, or rather women power, to eliminate the historic backlog and prevent future ones. Only women now serve on the ARC. And only women provide the sexual offender treatment. We’ll mention that gender imbalance at the hearing.
Please come to the rules hearing, which might take place as soon as April. We’ll hand out CCJR buttons before the meeting. Friends of prisoners are welcome to tell lawmakers their personal stories, but only if those are directly related to a proposed rule. Please keep any remarks brief. A minute is a long time for lawmakers to listen to you at a hearing. Always ad lib your comments. Lawmakers get bored when witnesses read their testimony.
We will also ask that Corrections adopt administrative rules for placing dangerous inmates in tiny cages during group counseling, for housing women in the men’s prison, for running the community sexual offender treatment program, and for managing the parole and probation supervision of former offenders. There are no administrative rules yet for any of these long-standing practices, and there should have been years ago.
Lawmakers kill our bill to make Corrections get legislative approval for its policies
We found six sponsors for a bill this year to make Corrections go through administrative rule making before lawmakers on all its policies. Our HB 229 got shot down by 4-0 in a subcommittee March 5 and by 19-0 in a full committee meeting Mar 13, but for a very good reason. The department has made substantial progress on its rulemaking requirements, and promises to continue. We believe they will, and we’re preparing legislation for 2020 to make sure. We need to bring in a separate bill for each prison policy that hasn’t gone through rulemaking as of next November.
Here was our prime sponsor’s advice to kill HB 229 for reasons we accept.
Rep. Peter Schmidt for Executive Departments and Administration. This bill removes the rule making exemptions for the Department of Corrections and requires various policies and procedures of the agency to be adopted by rules under RSA 541-A. Legislation similar to this bill has been before the committee for the last two terms. In each case, the bill was retained because the committee recognized that, although there were legitimate concerns about excessive exemptions, as well as a very unsatisfactory rule making process in the Department of Corrections, the bills were both too far-reaching in their requirements and unlikely to achieve them. We determined that a collaborative oversight process, involving the ED&A Committee as a whole, to monitor and inform the Department of Corrections process would be more appropriate and productive. That is what has been underway for the last four years, and it has resulted in a significant improvement in the rule making process and product. The department has demonstrated a genuine commitment to remedying the above referenced deficiencies, and has created a prioritized methodology to accomplish this. Accordingly, the committee believes this bill is no longer needed and will continue to monitor progress and results at the department. Vote 19-0.
Many superb crime bills are doing well at the legislative halfway point
HB 726 sets up a committee to study building a new secure psychiatric unit outside the prison, where noncriminals and women are currently housed among mentally ill felons. The bill sailed through committee by 18-1 and passed by a voice vote on the House floor. It should pass in the Senate too, with three senate co-sponsors. Better yet, Gov. Chris Sununu asked for $40 million in his recent budget address to renovate a building for a secure psychiatric unit on the state hospital grounds. “This multi-pronged effort we will undertake is, quite frankly,” the governor said, “the single largest step this state has ever taken to reform our mental health system.”
HB 455 to abolish the death penalty passed by 279-88 in the House, but it needs 16 of 24 Senate votes in the Senate to withstand a promised veto by the governor. Several uncommitted senators will determine if the bill becomes law or not. Ask your senator to vote yes.
HB 518 to free inmates from paying for the cost their incarceration passed by 20-0 in committee and moved to the Senate. The bill would stop the Department of Corrections from billing people like former inmate Eric Cable. The state seeks $119,000 from him. By coincidence he was already suing the state for medical malpractice while he was imprisoned.
HB 189 would spare child sex trafficking victims from criminal penalties if they ask the authorities for help. This superb bill would protect child prostitutes in peril from their pimps and clients alike. It passed in House committee by 20-0 and should soon become law.
HB 732 to stop over-sentencing and racial profiling was a superb bill that stumped members of the House Commerce Committee. It got tabled on the House floor. At its public hearing lawmakers liked the goals of the bill, but thought it covered too much subject matter. We had advised appointing a study committee.
HB 486 is another fine bill that requires Corrections to help restore voting rights to felons. The bill passed 18-2 in committee and went to the Senate.
HB 349 would help inmates get a second medical opinion on complex health issues. The bill passed in committee 15-5 and prevailed 226-145 on the House floor.
SB 100 would bar most employers from asking about a job seeker’s criminal record on the application form or in the background investigation prior to the first interview. The public hearing was March 5 before the Senate Judiciary Committee.
SB 51 would set up a 19-member study commission on the need to promote mental health courts statewide. These are some of the admirable goals of the bill: to improve public safety, to reduce recidivism and untreated mental illness, and to prevent incarceration. The bill has already passed in the Senate.
Some dangerous bills are doing badly
HB 529 to bar school employees from testifying for sexual assault cases defendants left committee this month with a 14-5 vote against it. An Exeter guidance counselor, Kristie Torbick, was found guilty last year of molesting one of her students. Twenty-seven people, including teachers and counselors, spoke on Torbick’s behalf at her sentence hearing. Half a dozen staff at Exeter High School, Bedford High School and Plymouth State University were fired or disciplined because of that testimony. HB 529 is unacceptable in a democracy founded on the rule of law and the principle of a fair trial.
SB 317 was almost identical to HB 232. It died on the Senate floor by 14-10.
HB 201 would have doubled the punishment for the John of an under-age prostitute, even if the prostitute looked 25 years old and lied about his or her age. The bill was retained in committee because lawmakers had already tripled the punishment in 2016 from a misdemeanor to a class B felony with a draconian sentence of three-and-a-half to seven years.
Respectfully,
Chris Dornin, LPC Committee Chair
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 Joint CCJR Special Ad-hoc Committee
on Department of Corrections Issues
2018 -2019 Annual Report
Thomas Adams, CCJR Committee Chairman
However, the lawmakers agreed to monitor the progress by the Department of Corrections in drafting rules that by law must be presented to JLCAR for approval.
Corrections also agreed to meet with the parties about other topics of concern: ARC’s
makeup and role, probation and community parole supervision, and aftercare programs for sex offenders in the community.
Initial Orientation Meeting
A joint meeting including legislative, Citizens for Criminal Justice Reform and Department of Corrections representatives met on December 20, 2018 at the DOC’s headquarters.
In attendance were Helen Hanks, DOC Commissioner, Benjamin Jean, DOC Assistant Commissioner. Mike McAllister, DOC Field Services, Chris Ketch, DOC Safety and Security, Rep. Peter Schmidt, Rep. Mark Proulx, Tom Adams, CCJR,Sandra McGonagle, CCJR, and Sherry Stromski, Guest,
Helen Hanks welcomed the group and expressed her appreciation that we have expressed interest in finding ways to support the work of DOC. She explained that she had included members of her staff in the meeting to help provide needed information. She advised that she would like to make clear that the Department has always had rules, but they need to be updated. She shared that we do not have all our policies in rules and are working to get it to 100% aligned. The rules will constantly be updated. Emphasis has been on expanding the health care rules and aligning them with DHHS as appropriate. She further explained that changes in law regarding rule making cannot have a fiscal note and that law predicates what rules are written.
Chris Ketch has the responsibility of rewriting the policies and the rules in addition to his primary duties as the Director of Security and Training. He advised that Chapter 400 dealing with issues of reclassification has been totally rewritten for clarity and understanding. Currently, four chapters have been completed, and Chapter 500 is about to be presented for Public Hearing.
CCJR expressed concerns about consistent standards for clinicians in the community treating sexual offenders and a need to better understand the roles of probation parole officers and the Parole Board. The Department agreed there were three areas where there may be opportunities for us to work together:
1) Assistance in creating a basic credential for therapists. It will be helpful to also look at what other states are doing in terms of credentialing for therapists. She did offer support from Heidi Guinen, Deputy Director of Forensics to assist with this work.
2) Field Services – Gain a better understanding of the work of Field Services, primarily with regard to the role and responsibilities of the probation and parole officers; to gain an understanding of their relationship to the Parole Board. Mike McAllister explained that he works closely with the Parole Board. There needs to be a beginning and end of treatment for parolees. Michael McAllister would be available to assist with better understanding of this work and how we might support DOC initiatives.
3) DOC Budget: Tom Adams suggested ways that CCJR could assist with the support of budget requests at the legislative level. The Commissioner advised that DOC would appreciate all support. She also advised that in her proposed budget she has requested that all positions be funded with salary and benefits. She is also requesting extra probation and parole officers.
Another area of focus for the Department is in the area of reentry and re-acclimating in society in careers and work responsibilities. Her team is reviewing areas where individuals with felony background may have barriers to the occupation. There was general support of those in attendance to examine occupational barriers for those with felonies.
There was discussion of an RFI from NH Hospital, co-authored by Helen Hanks; to solicit feedback from potential State partners in the development of a DHHS operated forensic hospital. She stated that there is a small population of civilly committed people in SPU, and that there is an effort to put together a plan to address concerns in that area.
Representative Peter Schmidt explained LSR-408, which he is sponsoring, which would require administrative rule making on sex offender treatment programs and probation and parole programs.
Focus Group 1 - Field Services and Services Parolees
On January 28, 2019 a joint meeting was held with Parole Board staff, DOC staff, and CCJR repre-sentatives. Those participating in the meeting were Donna Sytek, Parole Board Chair, Mike McAllister, and Jason Smith, DOC Field Services, Ashley St. Germaine, Parole Board Administrative Assistant, Tom Adams, Cheryl Stromski, guest, and Sandra McGonagle, CCJR.
The focus for the meeting was to understand the work of the Parole Board and its interactions with the Probation Department and to search for areas in which the DOC Field Services could partner with the CCJR to improve its ability to provide to better supervise, help and guide parolees in accordance with best practices.
Ashley St. Germaine, the Administrative Assistant to the Parole Board, explained the Parole Eligibility Search procedure. She advised that each month the department looks at minimum parole dates and schedules hearing at least 60 days before the minimum date.
Applicants fill out a form, which states the offense and why they are seeking parole at this time. She described that her office collects all of the information for the hearings, and it sometimes can be a very time consuming task for 4.5 staff members. There are 25 hearings scheduled each week. Revocation hearings are held on Tuesday, with other hearings scheduled on Thursday. The conditions for release are outlined in NH statute 301.02.
Mike McAllister advised that Parole officers have an average caseload of over 100, with 50 re-commended as the most ideal for the work involved. He explained that the Justice Reinvestment Initiative State Assessment Report in 2010 created a paradigm shift whereby one mistake by a parolee did not automatically send him back to prison. The “one and done” philosophy ceased, leading to a decrease in population at the prison, as well as a savings. Mike advised that the two major issues for the Probation Department are with parolees absconding with no place to live or issues with opioids.
The Administrative Review Committee (ARC) committee was discussed briefly. Donna Sytek advised that after the SOT program, ARC makes recommendations to the Parole Board. The Parole Board usually acts based on the recommendation of the ARC.
She stated that ARC deals with issues that are usually related to medical or cognitive problems. Mike discussed the pitfalls of relying totally on recidivism rates. He said that what should be measured are achievement of employment and length of time absconding with no place to live. (The longer they can hold jobs or find housing shows good initiative.) He said that there should be no more sitting in prison pending charges. Pre-trial confinement should happen in County jails, not in the prisons.
Mike advised that there are 60 parole officers. Their focus is on assigned risks of the parolee, public safety, and rehabilitation. He explained the process in probation. The parolee is assigned an officer, and the supervision level is based upon a tool. They are assisted in finding a provider, usually a LADAC or sex offender program. He advised that the level of supervision should be based on risk and compliance and not to extend during the entire time of probation. Tom suggested that CCJR is interested improving the access and quality of these services.
Sherry raised the issue of Aftercare of parolees. She suggested that the faith community is interested in assisting with housing and employment. It was suggested that mentor roles could play a valuable role with re-entry to the community. Mike expressed that this is an area in need of support. DOC, he stated, does not do a good job with re-entry. Other states have models that work. There is no need to reinvent the wheel. The HOPE program and Trails program were discussed as possible models, but it was agreed that for the most part, the HOPE program had not been successful.
It was agreed to schedule the next meeting to further discuss the aftercare programs of parolees. The Director of the Halfway House will be invited to attend the meeting with Mike McAllister, Jason Smith, and representative of CCJR. Tom will coordinate the meeting date for the meeting. That meeting with Community Services (Halfway Houses) will now be scheduled since Mike McAllister has returned from sick leave.
Focus Group II Aftercare treatment for SO
On March 13, 2013 a joint meeting with Mike McAllister, Field Services, Helen Hanks, DOC Commissioner, Abbe (In prison SOP Director), Sandra McGonagle, was held to discuss SO aftercare. (The official Minutes are not issued as of this report) The number of male and female in NH prisons is 702. This is about half of the inmates in custody of the State. The number of SO parolees will be researched by the DOC.
The joint committees members agreed that one goal is to set a credential or endorsement on a credential for aftercare SO therapists, and to create a seamless therapeutic reentry program with the in - house sop training. Another area of effort will be to mandate insurance companies to include SO therapy in policy coverage. The collateral effect of this effort may encourage more sex offender therapists to provide services in the northern and rural areas of the state, since this therapeutic service will have secure funding.
Another meeting will be scheduled in April where members will share the results of their assignments. Prior to that meeting members shared information obtain about certification/licensure programs that are available, how other states provide or supervise aftercare, and what are the best standards, practices for aftercare therapy for those on parole, and insurance plan payment coverage of SO therapy are available in other jurisdictions
Visitation Policy Special March 8 joint meeting
An official record of that meeting is attached. The discussion concerning clarification of the new rules, the rationale for the rules, and the distinction between what requires JALCAR approval was discussed. It was agreed it is not clear. A concern was also raised about whether there exemptions to JALCR rules can be made by the Commissioner. The attached minutes will elucidate the problem of having JALCAR rules.
Respectfully,
Tom Adams, CCJR DOC Ad-hoc Committee Chairman
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Ad-hoc Committee on Inmate Newsletters
March 2019
by Leann DeHart
The committee included Tom Adams, Richard Mori, Greg Papia, Ray Ellsworth, Sandra McGonagle and Chris Dornin offered his valuable assistance. Leann DeHart chaired. The committee met in September to discuss how many newsletters would go out and what would be in the content Tom, Chris, Greg, Ray, and Leann decided to send inmate members two newsletters with the grant from the Anne Frey Foundation.
Those involved have expressed a desire to see future newsletters go out to those inmates who are members. There is agreement that newsletters be sent to those prisoners outside of our membership with the hope that we may gain new members.
The first newsletter was mailed in September 2018. The cost to print the 6 page newsletter was $156.60. The purchase of stamps and envelopes came to $26.98.
The second newsletter, mailed in January 2019, had a total of 10 pages and the price to print was $270.00. The envelopes and stamps came to $119.99.
Chris Dornin explained that our match for the grant far exceeds $500. It took a full three weeks to report and write the two newsletters. A professional journalist or a paid executive director would have made $2,000 or more to do that work.
Leann corrected the original members list since some members had been released from prison. After all corrections had been made, the list currently shows 82 active members are still incarcerated.
It was noted that only five of the newsletters sent out had been returned.
Thank you to all of you, who worked hard to make the publication and mailing of the two newsletters possible.
Submitted by,
Leann DeHart, Ad-hoc Chair
Note: The inmate newsletter is different this member newsletter. If you would like your incarcerated friend or loved one to receive the CCJR Inmate Newsletter please sign them up for a Prisoner level membership. Cost is $2.00 per year. Click Here Choose Prisoner for membership category.
Read .pdf copies of the inmate Newsletter:
- Click and Read Inmate Newsletter One
- Click and Read Inmate Newsletter Two
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April 2019 - We are always looking for volunteers to serve on the board or any of our various committees. Please click the purple icon to learn more about open positions. Click the blue Become a CCJR Volunteer icon below to email questions and/or volunteer.
Openings Not Posted Yet: There are positions open in the following committees not posted on our website: Editorial and Public Relations, Legislative Policy Committee, Litigation Committee, Inmate Newsletter Committee, Social Media and more. Some of these positions are posted now, others will be soon.
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We have a website page devoted to inmate stories from one or more authors about their experiences pre and post incarceration. While we are eager to provide this forum, the views and opinions expressed on this page are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the official position of CCJR. We hope that you will enjoy "Notes from the Land of Oz."
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Why Oz?
The Wizard of Oz, was notable for popularizing the phrase: "There's no place like home"; in contrast “Oz ”, an HBO dramatic television series about Oswald State Penitentiary used the tagline: "It's no place like home". Like Oz, a tornado effect comes into the convicted person's life and deposits them into another world that is a parody of the real one. While there you long for home and it seems like there is little rationality to how you get back there - ruby slippers, indeed!
Click here for "Notes from the Land of Oz"
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When you join CCJR-NH you support the important work that we do and we keep you updated with newsletters and emails. You will also receive Action Alerts and updates on pending legislation and CCJR-NH campaigns on the local and national level. Your annual membership payment is vital to the ongoing work and effort of Citizens for Criminal Justice Reform.
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Renew Your Membership Now Click here
With almost 400 members it is an overwhelming task to contact each and every member on their annual renewal date. To simplify the membership fee system the board voted on March 28, 2017 to implement a new policy. We are asking every member “to submit their annual membership fee between January 1st and March 31st in order to maintain active member status. Since we are beyond the renewal window this year we are asking all of our members to send in their renewal fee now. Please take care of this as soon as possible.
Membership dues and generous donations allow our volunteers to continue the important work of criminal justice reform in New Hampshire. To renew your membership click on the icon above and choose the category that applies, Individual, Prisoner, Family or Organization. In the "Tell Us Where you Heard Us" block, please mention that you are renewing your membership.
Did you know that for a one time gift of $100.00 you can become part of the Life-Time Membership Club?
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