The following is a response to the Mass INC. Prison Report released by Hampden County Sheriff Nick Cocchi.

Although I have deep respect for our friends at MassINC., here in Hampden County we are hard at work preparing inmates to return to our communities in better shape than when they came to us. This is critical for the  safety of the public.

Individuals come to us with severe mental health issues, addicted to drugs and alcohol, under educated, and with no meaningful skills to get a job. Jails are primary care providers that see inherently higher rates of hepatitis and HIV as well.  My staff, working in our 5 facilities in Hampden County handle the most difficult, resistant and challenged individuals and are expected to aggressively address these issues. I’m here to tell you that is exactly what we do, day in and day out, 365 days a year.

Today, we have very limited mental health facilities in the state. We face a severe shortage of bed space in the community for those with mental health issues, as well as an increased demand for those addicted individuals to detox and get the care they need.

These shortages directly reflect the populations in our jails since these people end up in jail instead of at a facility in the community where they could get proper treatment.

Yes, our inmate population has declined since 2011 when we had 1,644 inmates in our custody. Today, I have 1,435 – 209 fewer inmates. I believe this is a direct result of all of our work in Hampden County to reduce recidivism.

As a result of this reduction, I have closed some jail housing pods and redirected many staff toward an increased focus of preparing inmates to successfully reenter our communities as productive, law abiding citizens. Security staffing levels need to be maintained for jail safety and in order to deliver effective programming.

We begin by identifing the deficits of the individual remanded to our custody and set out addressing these needs inside the jail. Upon release, at our After Incarceration Support Systems reentry center, we continue with programs that include among others; mental health services, employment skills and retention, education, anger management, and parenting skills to name a few. I’m proud to report we have had over 4,700 GED/HiSET high school equivalency graduates.

I take my responsibilities of public safety very seriously. My staff are highly trained professionals; Correctional Officers, Doctors, Nurses, Councilors, Mental Health Clinicians,  Addictions Specialists, Employment, Education, and Occupational specialists all working to correct what I feel should have been addressed before individuals end up in my jail.

I believe simply laying blame on the jails is missing the point. In our case, we work diligently every day to successfully reenter individuals. For every one inmate released from my custody who makes positive change toward a law abiding lifestyle, we are preventing countless other crimes and further victimization.

I’d like to see us work together on developing more mental health opportunities in the community. More preventive education regarding drug addiction and increase our detox and recovery bed space.

We have much to do. I look forward to working with MassINC and others in the community to improve services and further reduce recidivism.”

Hampden County Sheriff Nick Cocchi