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Posted by: kwflatbed

Washington official seen as an agent for changing focus

By Frank Phillips, Globe Staff | November 2, 2007

Governor Deval Patrick today is expected to appoint as corrections commissioner Harold W. Clarke, the top corrections official in the state of Washington, who has built a national reputation for improving prisons despite encountering controversy.
Officials who know Clarke, who previously ran Nebraska's prison system, said his appointment would mark a shift in Massachusetts away from the hard-nosed policies established during 16 years of Republican governors.
Clarke is at the "top of the heap" among national penal experts, with a record of reducing violence in prisons and professionalizing staff, said Martin Horn, New York City's top prison official and a specialist on prison reform.
Clarke has been criticized after incidents in which felons on post-release supervision killed police officers, and also for a controversial release of felons from overcrowded jails, but his reputation remains high, Horn said.
"He is a true professional with rock-solid integrity," Horn said.
Officials in Patrick's administration said Clarke accepted Patrick's offer to take the post late yesterday, making him the second African-American to lead the Massachusetts Department of Correction. His mandate, the officials said, will be to revamp a corrections department that has focused for years on tough-on-crime policies while cutting to a bare minimum training and reentry programs.
Former attorney general Scott Harshbarger, a member of Patrick's six-member selection panel, said Clarke is up to the job of overhauling a system that has been supervised under harsh policies articulated in 1991, when former governor William F. Weld vowed to "reintroduce Massachusetts prisoners to the joys of busting rocks."
"It will be a major shift in philosophy and approach, one that will balance top-flight professional leadership and public safety with effective reentry of inmates," Harshbarger said. "This is a major-league selection."
Until Clarke's name surfaced recently, the seven-member panel, headed by Secretary of Public Safety Kevin Burke, had struggled to find a replacement for Kathleen Dennehy, who was let go last spring. Clarke is expected to be paid about the same salary as Dennehy, $140,000 a year.
Clarke will manage a system that has 11,000 inmates, a $500 million budget, and about 5,000 staff members while dealing with one of the toughest public unions, the Massachusetts Corrections Officers Federation Union. The system has 18 facilities.
Clarke, a native of Panama who headed Nebraska's prison system for 14 years before taking over Washington's system in 2005, will be Massachusetts' first black commissioner in 33 years, since John O. Boone.
Clarke has come under fire in Washington since being appointed by Governor Chris Gregoire two years ago.
He faced a crisis this year when two freed felons under post-release supervision killed two Seattle police officers in separate car accidents, and another shot and killed a county sheriff.
In addition, a work-release program in Seattle this year faced an investigation after six workers were accused of sexual misconduct and falsifying drug tests.
At the same time, an infuriated Gregoire said that she was "outraged" when Clarke's department released 90 felons from county jails because of overcrowding.
Last summer, the leadership of the Washington Federation of State Workers called for a no-confidence vote in his management. Gregoire headed off a vote by the union membership.
Harshbarger said the selection panel looked at those issues and found nothing that would alarm its members about his management abilities.
He said he expects the same sort of resistance to change in Massachusetts, but that the state needed to move beyond the legacy of Willie Horton, the convicted murderer who, while on a weekend furlough in the 1980s, went to Maryland where he raped a woman and stabbed her male companion. National Republicans used the issue to help defeat Michael Dukakis in the 1988 presidential election.
"Is Willie Horton going to dominate our correctional philosophy forever?" Harshbarger said. "Some risk is always inherent. But the risk we have now is more expensive and more dangerous than a policy of being tough but with support programs for reentry."

http://www.boston.com/news/local/art...ef_of_prisons/

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Posted by: alphadog1

So, does this mean work release for lifers? It didn't work back in the 80's.

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Posted by: Delta784

Has the DOC union settled their contract yet?

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Posted by: alphadog1

Quote:

Delta784Has the DOC union settled their contract yet?

The Captains Union ratfied their contract on Oct. 27th. They did a one year deal with a 3% raise and a signing bonus. I believe MCFOU has not.

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Posted by: Bish

It's hard to believe that career professionals within our own department are deemed to be unqualifed for the top position. It appears that the new individual from Washington has considerable baggage that he will have to overcome and explain.

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Posted by: C.O. I

Quote:

Originally Posted by Delta784 Has the DOC union settled their contract yet?

Yes....Here's what we got!!!!!!! Date: 11/5/2007 Story:
MCOFU has been informed of a revised payment schedule of raises, longevity payment and retroactive pay. The new dates are as follows:
11/16/07 The 7/8/07 salary chart will be implemented (representing an 11% salary increase) and the new increases will be issues with the pay advices that day.
11/30/07 A retroactive payment for the salary increases effective 10/01/06-07/07/07 (8%) will be issued. Additionally, the $3,000.00 longevity payment (eligibility dependent) will br issued with the pay advices that day (less the retroactive dues/agency fees).
12/14/07 A retroactive payment for the salary increase effective 07/08/07-10/27/07 (3%) will be issued with the pay advices that day (less the retroactive dues/agency fees increase).
Please feel free to contact the union office at 774-396-6477 with any questions or concerns.
On behalf of the Executive Board,
Ken Ferullo
Vice President

So in a nut shell.....11% increase with a 3,000 longevity payment with 9 months retro at 8% and 3 months retro at 3%

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Posted by: Delta784

Quote:

Originally Posted by C.O. I So in a nut shell.....11% increase with a 3,000 longevity payment with 9 months retro at 8% and 3 months retro at 3%

Is that a three year deal?

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Posted by: C.O. I

yes it is.....And it took us 4 yrs to get it and were only getting 9 months retro.....but its better than nothing i guess. This raise is for the past 4 years. It took the state 4 yrs to give us this raise. Now that we got that out of the way we can start negotiating a new contract to put us current. So in other words we were being paid the same wages for the last 4 years.

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Posted by: pahapoika



Washington State Department of Corrections
Harold W. Clarke, Secretary



from all accounts this guy is going to be bad news for the officers.

Thank God we got our contract first
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Posted by: kwflatbed

Birds of a feather will flock together:
Coupe Deval & Harold Clarke
Any one else see the same look ?

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Posted by: SinePari

Quote:

Originally Posted by kwflatbed Birds of a feather will flock together: Coupe Deval & Harold Clarke Any one else see the same look ?

OK, I'll say it. First black national guard commanding general, first black commissioner of the DOC...endorsing Obama...

I hope they're the most qualified individuals, and he's not just trying to over compensate racial disparities here in the commonwealth.

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Posted by: alphadog1

Just another con lover!

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