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Our Programs:
Community Resources for Justice 355 Boylston Street Boston, MA 02116 Phone: (617) 482-2520 Fax: (617) 262-8054 crj[@]crjustice.org |
CRJ's 2012 Annual Spring Reception
 CRJ Expands Services to Albany, NY Community Resources for Justice of Boston will re-open Horizon Center, a South End halfway house for federal offenders, in early September, CEO John Larivee announced today.
Community Resources for Justice has opened a new program in Northborough, Massachusetts. The residence will be the home for five men and is funded under a contract with the Massachusetts Department of Developmental Disabilities. "This residence is a relocation of a program that was housed in Westborough," said Bill Coughlin, Chief Operating Officer for CRJ. "We are delighted to provide an improved living situation for our consumers and a better work environment for our dedicated staff." Community Resources for Justice is pleased to announce the publication of our newest report, "Priorities and Public Safety II: Adopting Effective Probation Practices". This report comes on the heels of the Boston Globe's latest Spotlight Series which follows the ongoing examination of the Massachusetts Probation Department.
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 CRJ Exceeds 2011 Rodman Ride for Kids Fund Raising Goal 2012 begins with great news! All reports are in for the 2011 Rodman Ride for Kids Challenge, and CRJ is happy to announce we not only met, but exceeded, our $125,000 goal - raising $125,577 for our youth programs. And the good news keeps on coming in the new year. By meeting our goal, CRJ qualified for a matching 10% gift from the Rodman organization of $12,558. This was the sixth year that CRJ was a participating agency in the Rodman Ride. This year we also had a record number of CRJ riders at 14 adults and children.
 Harshbarger's Report Draws Attention to Probation Reform 02/28/2011 - Earlier this week, a task force appointed by the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court, and chaired by former state Attorney General Scott Harshbarger, issued a report of their review of the Commonwealth's Probation Department hiring practices. (Scott Harshbarger serves with distinction as the president of the board of directors of Community Resources for Justice.) This work was undertaken following the release of independent counsel Paul Ware's highly critical report last November that found the Probation Department "has been thoroughly compromised" by hiring candidates and promoting employees with political connections. CRJ supports the recommendations offered in this report.
CRJ's Crime and Justice Institute recently published Priorities & Public Safety: Reentry and the Rising Costs of our Corrections System for The Boston Foundation (TBF) as part of TBF's Understanding Boston series. The report examines the growth of the cost of corrections in Massachusetts in contrast to government spending for other competing sectors, identifies programs that could be adopted here, and describes specific reforms to bring costs under greater control.
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Honoring,
Gray skies and a 7:00AM heavy downpour didn’t deter Team CRJ who made a great showing at the Rodman Ride for Kids on October 1. Fourteen riders – a new record for CRJ, rode a collective total of 700 miles for the agency, raising critical support to invest in our youth programs.
Three outstanding members of the community were elected to the board of Community Resources for Justice in Boston at the September 2011 meeting of the board. “We work with some of society’s most challenging populations,” said Scott Harshbarger, Board Chairman. “These new directors will add depth and breadth to our work at a time of tremendous growth of our services.”
Community Resources for Justice Board President Scott Harshbarger has announced the addition of Tim Cabot of Cambridge to its Board of Directors.
03/30/2011 - Massachusetts legislators today are taking up proposals to address shortcomings in the state's probation system. Community Resources for Justice, through our Crime and Justice Institute, has been instrumental in shaping some of these, particularly those requiring shared data collection and an updated risk assessment tool. We remain optimistic about the likelihood that our state will choose smarter approaches to corrections.
03/18/2011 - Nationally recognized corrections expert George Keiser, CEO of Keiser and Associates, has joined forces with Boston-based Community Resources for Justice as an advisor and consultant on criminal justice systems initiatives, CEO John Larivee announced today.
Tiziana Dearing has been elected to a three year term on The Community Resources for Justice Board of Directors.
Elyse Clawson, Executive Director of CRJ's Crime and Justice Institute, has been named a member of Oregon's Governor-Elect John Kitzhaber’s transition team. Elyse will work on the corrections and youth corrections budget work group. This group has been charged to make recommendations to the governor on budget and policy for corrections and youth corrections. Prior to joining CRJ, Clawson served in a variety of leadership roles in the state of Oregon, including a tenure as the Assistant Director of the Oregon State Department of Corrections. She also has served as the Director of the Department of Community Justice in Multnomah County, Oregon.
The Massachusetts programs of Community Strategies received a 99% rating on the recent licensing and certification audit conducted by the MA Department of Developmental Services. In congratulating the team, Gerry Morrissey, Chair of the Board's Program Committee, wrote, "The level of excellence required to attain such a high score in such a rigorous review shows your commitment to excellence in all that we do in Community Strategies." As a result of the review CRJ received a two-year license. Special thanks and congratulations go out to the Massachusetts staff of Community Strategies, CRJ's Standards and Quality Assurance Department and to the Administration division staff who were involved for their hard work. 
CRJ’s McGrath House received its Accreditation Certificate at the American Correctional Association (ACA) Conference in Chicago, Illinois. The final step of the process was a hearing at the conference where Tara Dendy, Program Director of McGrath House, Susan Jenness Phillips, Department Director for Standards and Quality Assurance and Brenda O’Donnell, Deputy Department Director for Adult Services presented the McGrath House Program and our Plan of Action before a panel of four ACA Accreditation Commissioners. McGrath House, located in Boston's South End, is a program for women reentering the community after serving time in the Suffolk County House of correction or at a federal penitentiary. It is funded by the Suffolk County Sherriff’s Office and Federal Bureau of Prisons. With a score of 99% on the audit, everyone involved deserves congratulations, especially the dedicated staff at McGrath House.