Sheriff Michael Ashe of the Hampden County (MA) knows a bit about second-chances. While many organizations are now jumping on the President’s second-chance bandwagon, Ashe has been at the forefront of this movement for 37 years.
In Massachusetts, Sheriffs are correctional administrators who run the county jails. Ashe heads the Hampden County Correctional Center (HCCC) where 1.500 inmates are under his supervision. According to Ashe, “My average inmate is in his twenties; is a substance abuser; has dropped out of school before completing the 10th grade, and has a fifth grade reading level; has never lived a year of his life in a home with a middle class income; and does not own a motor vehicle. In short, an addicted, poor, undereducated, unemployed, unskilled young person. “
Recognizing that the majority of these inmates will transition back to their communities within 2 ½ years or less, Ashe is vehement about providing programs that will give the prisoners a fighting chance to succeed upon release.
When Ashe was elected in 1975 he tackled the recidivism problem head-on, by creating programs designed toward rehabilitation. While other correctional facilities throughout the U.S. were geared more toward punishment, Ashe was moving in a more constructive manner, decades ahead of his peers. Ashe brought to HCCC programs that went beyond GED classes. Inmates had access to over 104 different classes from Victim Impact to Anger Management. Although many of the programs are no longer in place, or have been modified, Ashe emphasizes the focus on rehabilitation while incarcerated. Inmates must also work 40 hours a week, something many of them have never done. Counseling is offered, as well as classes in substance abuse education. Inmates are also connected with community agencies upon release.
Ashe’s motto is: "Firmness dignified with fairness; strength reinforced with decency." Believing that an inmate should be primed for his or her eventual reentry the moment they set foot in his facility has produced impressive results: The recidivism rate of former HCCC inmates is 19 percent, a very impressive number, compared to 40-45 percent elsewhere in the state.
To view Ashe’s past paper presented to the OVERSIGHT AND ACCOUNTABILITY IN CORRECTIONS COMMISSION ON SAFETY AND ABUSE IN AMERICA'S PRISONS click here to go to website
Source: Salem News July 2, 2011
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