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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 |
 Athol Residence Opened by Community Strategies for Massachusetts Community Strategies for Massachusetts, a department of Community Resources for Justice, recently opened its eighteenth program for people with intellectual disabilities. The modern house located in Athol will be home to five women when it is fully occupied."We are pleased at the welcome the Town and the neighbors have given us," said Bill Coughlin, CRJ's Chief Operating Officer. "As we do with all our start-up programs, we have staffed the Athol Residence with some of our best staff," said Eric Scharf, CSMA's Department Director. "The house looks fantastic," he added, "thanks to the hard work of the staff who got it ready for occupancy."
Massachusetts is in a position to reduce recidivism and increase public safety, according to a report by the Crime and Justice Institute and scheduled for release May 9th at a forum at the State House.
Watson Academy recently published a new literary magazine containing poems of the youth involved in all of CRJ's youth programs. Each week we will publish on this website a new poem, showcasing the powerful talent of one of these young poets.
 COMMUNITY RESOURCES FOR JUSTICE CELEBRATES 130TH ANNIVERSARY, HONORS THREE DEDICATED TO JUSTICE On Thursday, April 10, 2008, Community Resources for Justice (CRJ) marked its 130th year of service with a fundraiser celebration at the Liberty Hotel, home of the former Charles Street Jail. The event also honored three individuals, Tom Reilly, Gerald Morrissey and Carol Fulp, who have worked tirelessly to advocate on behalf of individuals as they become productive members of society. Former Massachusetts Attorney General Tom Reilly has spent the majority of his career enhancing criminal justice and public safety. Gerald Morrissey, former Massachusetts Commissioner of Mental Retardation, has long been revered for his work with individuals with mental retardation, and Carol Fulp, vice president of community relations at John Hancock, is well-known for her dedication to Greater Boston’s youth.
 CRJ Hosts Reception to Welcome New Massachusetts Department of Correction Commissioner Community Resources for Justice (CRJ) honored Harold Clarke on his appointment as Commissioner of the Massachusetts Department of Correction at a reception jointly hosted with the Honorable Kevin Burke, Secretary of the Executive Office of Public Safety and Security for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
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If you need more information about ways to contribute to CRJ please click the button above. Otherwise, if you are ready to donate on-line please click here. Thank you! Dr. Renee Sorrentino Contributes to New Textbook Dr. Renee Sorrentino, CRJ's Forensic Psychatrist, contributed a chapter to a new textbook, Handbook of Sexual and Gender Identity Disorders edited by David Rowland and Luca Incrocci. Dr. Sorrentino contributed a chapter entitled "Legal Issues in Sexual Disorders". The book is published by Wiley Press (www.wiley.com) and can be purchased through Amazon and other on-line book sellers.  It’s never too late to support Team CRJ in the Rodman Ride for Kids! If you are interested in becoming a Sponsor or Rider for the 2008 Team CRJ, please contact Ellen Donnarumma in the Development Office at 617-482-2520 or edonnarumma[@]crjustice.org. Thanks for your support! CORI: Opening Doors of Opportunity; A Workforce and Public Safety Imperative Now Available Authors: Claire Kaplan and Len Engel
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Two of our programs, in Brookfield and Kingston, captured the attention of their local legislators recently. The Kingston Residence was visited by State Senate President Therese Murray, who represents Kingston, and Secretary of Health & Human Services, JudyAnn Bigby. The program serves adult men with intellectual disabilities. A week earlier, the Brookfield Residence hosted State Representative Anne Gobi to learn in detail how our Brookfield consumers, adult women with intellectual disabilities, are supported by the program in order to live as independently as possible. Both visits coincided with the Legislature's deliberations of the Fiscal Year 2009 budget.
The Crime and Justice Institute recently upgraded its website, partially funded through a capacity-building grant from The Boston Foundation. The website retains much of the important content as the previous site, but is updated with a new, fresher look. The site also features an improved ability to provide frequent updates, which will help CJI spread information about the work that the institute does. The website permits visitors to easily locate publications and information, with an improved menu and an added search function. In addition to these new features, the new server will be able to accommodate web surveys, which have been a growing component of CJI’s work. CJI will be adding new content and reorganizing existing content as time progresses to enable visitors and staff to access and share information effectively. Developing website-related projects include calendar sharing, document collaboration, and a staff-only bulletin board.
Massachusetts Department of Social Services Commissioner Dr. Angelo McClain met with the Community Resources for Justice, Inc. Board of Directors on Tuesday March 11 at Sargent House. The leaders of the Social Justice Services Department's child welfare programs gave brief presentations about their programs to the Commissioner and the Board. Commissioner McClain then outlined some of his vision for his department, the role of group homes in the child welfare system and other key issues facing both his department and the department’s service providers. After a very lively and informative dialogue with the board, Commissioner McClain and some board members received a tour of the facility and met with the youth who reside there.
Community Resources for Justice has elected Scott Harshbarger as President of its Board of Directors. In this position, Harshbarger, Senior Counsel to the firm Proskauer Rose LLP, will assist CRJ in enhancing safety and quality of life in Massachusetts and New Hampshire by helping those who are in, or at risk of being in, the adult or juvenile justice systems, those transitioning out of these systems back to their communities, and individuals with intellectual disabilities requiring intensive support.
In the summer of 2007, COO Bill Coughlin went on a "Wild Ride" riding from program to program on his bicycle to raise both awareness of CRJ's programs and money for the Rodman Ride for Kids. His reflections of the 300 mile journey, the people he met and the programs he visited can be found in a series of articles he wrote during the ride.