Press Release from Paul Heroux, candidate for Bristol County Sheriff
Candidate for Sheriff Paul Heroux is saying that Sheriff Tom Hodgson is trying to have it both ways and is being disingenuous.
On WBSM, incumbent Hodgson says in one sentence that “We’re all in the same boat trying to find a formula that really makes sense and works to find the accuracy.”
But then in another sentence, Hodgson says “But we measure our programs. We measure our grants, by law we measure our grants and the output and success of those grants.”
Heroux notes the importance of corrections programs that are offered to inmates should reduce recidivism, which is a measure of reoffending. Programs that reduce recidivism are critical to the role of a jail increasing public safety, improving the community, and stopping the revolving door at a jail.
“Which one is it? Are you or are you not measuring if your programs reduce recidivism or not?” Heroux said. “And if you are measuring outcomes, please make public the results and methods to measure the programs on your county jail website for experts to determine if you properly measure the outcome on recidivism.”
Recidivism is a measure of reoffending. There are different ways to define recidivism, and recidivism rates should not be compared from one jurisdiction to another.
“The importance of measuring if jail programs reduce reoffending is one of the core functions of a jail system that the incumbent has not done in his 25 years in elected office as the County Sheriff”, said Heroux “We are releasing inmates to the street, but we have no idea if our efforts in the so-called Bristol County House of ‘Correction’ are in fact correcting behavior.”
“Does the drug treatment program reduce drug offending after release? Hodgson doesn’t know. Does the anger management program reduce incidents of violence after release? Hodgson doesn’t know.”
Heroux continued, “I’ve also heard that there is minimal to no programming actually offered in our county jail. We don’t know because no metrics are reported to the public.”
Attleboro Mayor Heroux, who has a background working in two corrections systems before entering elected office and has a Master’s in Criminology from the University of Pennsylvania and a Master’s in Public Administration from Harvard, says that among other changes, he will run a more modern jail system than is currently being run by measuring all programs to determine if they reduce reoffending or not.
“If the program works, we will do more of it. If it doesn’t work, we will review the program to find out why it doesn’t work and then reform the program to make it work, or replace it”, Heroux said. “For the past 25 years, Sheriff Hodgson has had no idea if he is reducing recidivism or not. He thinks he does, but there is no evidence other than talking like a tough guy.”
Heroux continued, “We will know what works in the Bristol County jail system I am running. I’m not going to talk like a tough guy for 25 years, hoping for 6 more, assuming that is keeping people safe. I am going to run a modern jail system that produces results and makes those results public showing the taxpayers that there is a new level of transparency, accountability, and effectiveness in town.”
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