>>> CURRENTLY WOMEN WHO ARE SENTENCED TO PRISON FROM THE
BERKSHIRES ARE SENT TO THE WESTERN MASSACHUSETTS REGIONAL
WOMEN'S CORRECTIONAL CENTER IN CHICOPEE.
THE DISTANCE, ACCORDING TO INMATES AND DEFENSE ATTORNEYS,
ADDS TO THE DIFFICULTIES WOMEN ARE ALREADY FACING.
CAROLEE McGRATH SPOKE WITH HEATHER BELLOW, A REPORTER FOR
THE "BERKSHIRE EAGLE" TO LEARN MORE ABOUT WHY MOVING THESE
INMATES FROM BERKSHIRE COUNTY TO HAMPDEN COUNTY ISN'T AS EASY AS
IT SOUNDS.
>> IT SOLVES SOME PROBLEMS IN A LOT OF WAYS, BUT CREATES ONE
MAJOR PROBLEM, DISTANCE.
WE WERE FOCUSIG ON BERKSHIRE COUNTY WOMEN, BUT IT CREATES A
DISTANCE PROBLEM FOR WOMEN AND THEIR ATTORNEYS IN THE OTHER
COUNTIES WHO SEND WOMEN TO THE CHICOPEE JAIL.
>> IT USED TO BE WOMEN WERE HOUSED IN BERKSHIRE JAIL, WHY
DID THEY STOP?
>> IN 2014 THEY SENT THEM TO CHICOPEE.
IT IS THE REASON WHY ALL THE WESTERN MASSACHUSETTS SHERIFFS
GAVE AT THAT TIME IN THE EARLY 2000s, WE ARE REALLY STRUGGLING
TO HOLD THESE SMALL NUMBERS OF WOMENS IN THESE PREDOMINANTLY
MEN'S JAILS.
WE HAVE TO KEEP THE MEN AND THE WOMEN SEPARATE AND WE ALSO CAN'T
GIVE THE WOMEN ENOUGH PROGRAMMING AND SERVICES.
>> OKAY.
TALK ABOUT THE NUMBERS, AS FAR AS HOW MANY WOMEN.
>> I THINK THE AVERAGE BACK THEN WHEN THEY WERE STILL IN
BERKSHIRE COUNTY WAS AROUND MAYBE 18 TO 30 WOMEN.
MAYBE 18 TO 40 WOMEN, WITH MORE THAN 100 MEN.
AT LEAST.
SO IT WAS DEFINITELY POSING SOME REAL LOGISTICAL PROBLEMS FOR THE
SHERIFFS.
>> ONE OF THE ARGUMENTS IN FAVOR OF SENDING THEM TO CHICOPEE WAS,
AS YOU MENTIONED, THE PROGRAMMING, AND HAVING A
FACILITY FOCUSED ON WOMEN, ON THEIR NEEDS, ON THEIR BEING
MOTHERS AND THOSE TYPES OF ISSUES THEY WOULD UNIQUELY FACE.
>> WELL, EXACTLY.
>> THE SHERIFF SAID THIS IS A WAY TO MAKE WOMEN BE TREATED
MORE AS EQUALS, THEY COULD PROVIDE VERY SPECIFIC
WOMEN-CENTERED CARE AND SUBSTANCE ABUSE TREATMENT AND
ALL KINDS OF OTHER PROGRAMS THAT ARE REALLY SPECIFIC TO WOMEN.
SO IN THAT WAY, IT REALLY DID DO A SERVICE TO THE WOMEN AND MANY
OF THEM THAT I SPOKE TO SAID THAT IT DID REALLY HELP THEM.
BUT WHAT IT DID WAS CREATED A PROBLEM OF DISTANCE.
AND THIS HAS -- AND THESE ARE -- A LOT OF THESE WOMEN ARE
AWAITING TRIAL AND IT HAS COMPROMISED THEIR ABILITY TO GET
HIGH-LEVEL LEGAL REPRESENTATION.
>> WHAT HAVE YOU HEARD FROM ATTORNEYS ON THE ISSUE
>> ATTORNEYS, THAT IS PRIMARILY WHO WE HAVE HEARD FROM ON THAT
ISSUE.
ATTORNEYS HAVE SAID PRETTY MUCH ACROSS THE BOARD IT IS VERY
DIFFICULT TO SERVE THESE WOMEN AT THE IDEAL LEVEL THEY SHOULD
BE SERVED.
>> WHEN YOU ARE TALKING ABOUT GOING TO THE CHICOPEE JAIL, A
SENTENCE OF TWO, TWO AND A HALF YEARS.
WHAT TYPES OF CRIMES WOULD THEY BE IN FOR?
>> THEY WOULD BE CRIMES RELATED TO THEIR SUBSTANCE ABUSE
DISORDERS, TO POVERTY, TO -- IT COULD BE SEX TRAFFICKING,
NONVIOLENT CRIMES USUALLY.
>> WHAT HAVE YOU HEARD FROM THE WOMEN THEMSELVES?
I KNOW YOU INTERVIEWED SOME INMATES AND PEOPLE WHO HAVE BEEN
RELEASED.
>> WELL, THEY -- SOME OF THESE WOMEN FELT THE JAIL HELPED THEM
WITH THEIR SUBSTANCE ABUSE DISORDERS AND OTHER PROBLEMS.
SOME FELT THE DISTANCE WAS A VERY BIG PROBLEM FOR THEIR
FAMILIES WHO WERE HAVING TO, YOU KNOW, SPEND $50 A WEEK ON PHONE
CALLS, FOR INSTANCE.
>> DID THEY HAVE VARIED BACKGROUNDS AS FAR AS SOME WERE
MOMS, SOME WERE NOT?
WHAT SITUATIONS BROUGHT THEM THERE?
>> MOST OF THEM WERE MOTHERS.
USUALLY A PAINKILLER ADDICTION THAT LED TO A HEROIN ADDICTION
AND JUST A VICIOUS CYCLE OF MOVING IN AND OUT OF THE JAIL.
>> OKAY.
I KNOW ANOTHER ARTICLE THAT YOU WROTE ALSO INVOLVED PHONE CALLS
AND THE EXPENSE OF PHONE CALLS AS WELL.
TELL US ABOUT THAT.
>> RIGHT.
SO, THE FAMILIES WANT TO STAY IN TOUCH WITH THE WOMEN AND THE
WOMEN NEED TO STAY IN TOUCH WITH THEIR CHILDREN AND THEIR
PARTNERS.
AND IT IS 12 CENTS A MINUTE AT THIS PARTICULAR JAIL AND IT
DOES, IT ADDS UP. AND THE JAIL RECEIVES SOME MONEY
BACK FOR THESE PHONE CALLS.
IT SORT OF GETS KICKED BACK TO THE JAIL AND THE JAIL CAN PAY
FOR PROGRAMS AND OTHER SERVICES, BUT THIS IS A SYSTEM THAT IS
UNDER ATTACK ACROSS THE STATE AND IN THE COUNTRY.
>> ONE OF THE ARTICLES YOU HAD WRITTEN ABOUT HOW OTHER STATES
ARE LOOKING AT HOW THAT SYSTEM WORKS WITH THE PHONE CALLS AND
THE EXPENSE OF THAT.
ON THE OTHER HAND, THE SHERIFF MENTIONED IMPORTANT PROGRAMMING,
TRAINING, G.E.D.s, CULINARY CLASSES.
THOSE ARE CRITICAL FOR THEM TO REENTER AND BE SUCCESSFUL WHEN
THEY DO GO BACK TO SOCIETY >> EXACTLY.
ACTIVISTS WHO THEN SAY, WELL, IF THIS IS SUCH AN IMPORTANT THINGS
THE LEGISLATURE SHOULD PAY FOR THIS, THE STATE SHOULD PAY FOR
THIS.
WE SHOULDN'T HAVE WOMEN IN JAIL AWAITING TRIAL PAYING FOR
SERVICES FOR THEMSELVES IN JAIL.
>> IS THERE ANY INTEREST IN OPENING UP A FACILITY BACK IN
THE BERKSHIRES SO THIS DOESN'T CREATE A PROBLEM?
I KNOW THERE'S WOMEN COMING IN FROM CENTRAL MASS?
WHAT ARE YOU HEARING FROM PEOPLE?
>> I'M HEARING THIS IS AN INTEREST.
IT WOULD BE IDEAL TO HAVE THEM BACK IN BERKSHIRE COUNTY.
FRANKLIN COUNTY SHERIFF BROUGHT WOMEN BACK TO FRANKLIN COUNTY IN
FEBRUARY.
THERE IS THE MONEY PROBLEM.
THE MONEY IS THE RUB IN THIS CASE.
IT IS MUCH MORE ECONOMICAL TO SEND THEM TO CHICOPEE.
>> SOME PEOPLE MIGHT READ THE ARTICLE OR LISTEN TO THIS
CONVERSATION AND SAY, I SEE YOU ARE TALKING ABOUT HARDSHIPS OF
WOMEN IN JAIL, BUT JAIL IS NOT SUPPOSED TO BE COMFORTABLE.
THIS IS A SYSTEM THAT HAS CONSEQUENCES BUILT IN.
WHY SHOULD BE CARE?
>> I HAVE HAD SOME PEOPLE WHO CALLED ME AND SAID IF THEY KEPT
THEIR NOSES CLEAN THEY WOULDN'T HAVE THESE PROBLEMS.
MANY OF THESE WOMEN ARE AWAITING TRIAL.
JAIL OFFICIALS WILL TELL YOU THEY HAVE BEEN VICTIMIZED OVER
AND OVER AGAIN THEIR ENTIRE LIVES.
THEY HAVE SUBSTANCE ABUSE PROBLEMS.
THEY HAVE, YOU KNOW, BEEN THROUGH ALL THE FALLOUT OF
POVERTY AND ADDICTION.
AND IT STARTED WHEN THEY WERE YOUNG, SO THAT IS WHAT ACTIVISTS
WOULD SAY. AND, YOU KNOW, I THINK THERE'S A
WAY OF BOTH.
>> RIGHT.
DO YOU THINK THAT THEY WOULD, YOU KNOW, THRIVE IF THEY WERE
CLOSER TO HOME?
IS THAT WHAT ACTIVISTS WOULD ARGUE?
>> ACTIVISTS SAY IT WOULD BE MUCH MORE HUMANE TO POUR THIS
MONEY WE ARE SPENDING INTO JAIL WOMEN INTO THE COMMUNITY, INTO
PROGRAMS SO THAT THEY CAN STAY OUT OF JAIL AND HEAL IN THE
COMMUNITY.
AND THEY POINT TO THE FACT THAT, YOU KNOW, MOST OF THE REASON, I
MEAN, THE MAIN REASON WHY THESE -- MOST OF THESE WOMEN END
UP IN JAIL IS BECAUSE THEY CAN'T POST JAIL.
SOME OF THESE BAILS ARE LOW, LIKE $50.
>> RIGHT.
THEY JUST DON'T HAVE THE MONEY.
>> YEAH.
>> THE WOMEN YOU SPOKE TO WHO ARE INMATES, DID THEY TALK ABOUT
THEIR HOPES AND DREAMS ONCE THEY GET OUT?
>> OH, EVERYONE I SPOKE TO SAID THEY WERE SO DEDICATED TO
STAYING CLEAN AND SOBER, TO RECONNECTING WITH THEIR
FAMILIES, WITH THEIR CHILDREN, TO BEING GOOD WIVES AND MOTHERS
AND EVERYONE DID. AND THEN THEY ALSO ACKNOWLEDGED
THAT, YOU KNOW, THEY HAD BEEN THROUGH THE JAIL'S DOORS BEFORE
AND THIS IS A CYCLE THAT IS REALLY HARD TO BREAK.
IT INVOLVES ADDICTION AND SEX TRAFFICKING AND JUST STEALING
THINGS TO PAY FOR DRUG HABITS.
IT JUST KEEPS GOING.