The Boston Globe
May 20, 2008
Get out of jail hopeless
PEOPLE who commit crimes in Massachusetts tend to read poorly, lack marketable skills, and have serious substance-abuse problems or mental illnesses. Merely putting them on ice for a few years isn't likely to fix those problems - or promote better behavior upon their release.

Public safety depends upon making sure released prisoners can earn a living outside jail. But to judge from a new report by the Crime and Justice Institute, a local research group, such opportunities appear to be lacking in Massachusetts, where the corrections budget is approaching $1 billion a year and more than half of released inmates re-offend within three years.

Worcester Telegram and Gazette
November 10, 2006
People magazine recognizes Worcester native’s deeds
When the folks from People magazine came calling, Helen “Sam” Coy took it in stride. Why not? After all, Coy, at 27, is already the director of Sargent House, a group home in Boston for teenage boys deemed delinquent or headed in that direction by the Department of Social Services. It turned out that People viewed Coy not only as a story but as a hero. Coy, who grew up in Worcester and graduated from South High Community School, is one of five young professionals from across the country to be honored as People’s “Heroes Among Us 2006.” They are featured in the Nov. 6 issue of the weekly magazine.

Peoples Magazine
November 4, 2006
The True Believer: Helen 'Sam' Coy
"On a warm October evening in Boston's tough South End neighborhood, a shooting at a barber shop is all seven teenage boys want to talk about. But at Sargent House, a home for troubled kids, Helen Sandra "Sam" Coy has other ideas." -- Sam Coy will be featured on the November 4th issue of People Magazine in their series "Heroes: the Best of 2006". Here we present you with a glimpse of the article.

To hear a CBS Radio clip with a profile of Sam Coy click here.

The Salem News
October 17, 2006
Gubernatorial candidates must address public safety, criminal justice reform
The September primaries have come and gone, and now voters are pressing the three main candidates for their views on some of the critical issues of the day: the Big Dig, state revenues and taxes, education, health care and more. One critical issue is seemingly lost in the shuffle – ensuring safe communities. Despite a summer where we’ve seen an increase in violent crime in our cities, public safety is rarely discussed during this election season, except in races for attorney general and district attorney. But public safety and criminal justice issues should be near the top of our next governor’s agenda.

The Boston Courant
The Fenway Section
June 24, 2006
Brooke House Getting Facelift
After years of helping to rehabilitate inmates, a fenway halfway house is turning to its exterior. Brooke House, which provides transitional housing for men recently released from Suffolk County jail, is getting a $1 million facelift. After the addtion of a rear stairway inside the 107 Park Drive building, the facility's external fire escape has been removed. Crews are also cleaning the facade and rehabbing its brickwork.

The Boston Courant
The Fenway Section
March 7 - 31, 2005
Brooke House Has Positive Impact (pdf)
Inmates at Brooke House, a Fenway pre-release center, may be anonymous in the neighborhood, but their impact in the community is not. Now in its second year of operation, Brooke House serves as transitional housing for inmates from Suffolk County jail to complete release. A key component of the facility is the community service residents are required to do in the Fenway and throughout Suffolk County.

Corrections.com
February 21, 2005
New Directions in Community Corrections: The Move Towards Evidence-Based Practices
A new day is dawning for many in the community corrections field, as an emphasis on evidence-based practices is slowly, but surely, changing the way probation and parole departments do business. With an eye on reducing recidivism, many agencies have begun to embrace evidence-based practices and the systemic changes that come with them.

The Standard-Times
New Bedford
July 23, 2004
Kerry says job training can curb gangs
This article quotes Ned Powers, a CRJ case manager working on the Boston Reentry Initiative project (a joint project between the Boston Police Department and Community Resources for Justice).

Corrections.com
July 12, 2004
Reframing Education to Fit Re-entry
Just as the tide has shifted in corrections to focus on offenders' potential success after release, so too has the thinking about inmate education. No longer is it enough to arm inmates with a GED prior to release; they also need to be educated in the skills that will help them live successfully in society.

The Boston Herald
June 6, 2004
Study urges closer tabs on newly released cons
The study by the Crime & Justice Institute said the prospect of 20,000 inmates being released from prison each year, many without any supervision, is one of the consequences of the tough mandatory sentences that were enacted during the past decade to deal with gang and drug activity.

The full report "From Incarceration to Community" in pdf format is available by clicking here.

The Boston Globe
June 6, 2004
Oversight of freed offenders is sought
The state can reduce crime and save millions of dollars by intensely supervising and assisting the thousands of criminal offenders who are released from state prisons and county houses of correction every year, according to the Crime and Justice Institute a research organization specializing in criminal justice issues.

The full report "From Incarceration to Community" in pdf format is available by clicking here.

New England Cable News
April 12, 2004
Fighting Crime (Real Player required for viewing this video clip)

A state commission is taking a second look at crime-fighting programs. CRJ’s Elyse Clawson, Executive Director of our Crime and Justice Institute joins Massachusetts Lt. Governor Kerry Healey, who headed the commission. Newsnight's Chet Curtis moderates a spirited discussion about the tough decisions that need to be made to stop crime.

Spare Change Newspaper
March 8, 2004
A Guiding Hand for Troubled Teens
On a frigid Monday morning, James C. Swenson begins his day ensuring the well-being and chance for a better future for twelve adolescent boys. As if that were not enough for one day, Swenson simultaneously deals with a pipe that has burst during the night. But this does not faze him. As Program Director at the Mary E. Sargent House, a residential facility in the South End serving troubled adolescent boys, he uses what he has to the best of his ability to do whatever is best for the boys.

The Patriot Ledger
December 17, 2003
'Busting rock' isn't correcting anything
CRJ’s CEO John Larivee’s recent editorial also appeared in the Metro West Daily News.

Metro West Daily News
December 7, 2003
Larivee: Beyond 'busting rock'
CRJ’s CEO John Larivee’s recent editorial also appeared in The Patriot Ledger.


The Provider. The Newspaper of the Massachusetts Council of Human Service Providers, Inc. Vol.24 - No. 11 / November 2003
CRJ Receives Peer Provider Award
Hosted by WBZ-TV's Lisa Hughes, the Peer Provider Awards' ceremony honored five community-based agencies, singled out for by their peers, for special contributions to human services.

The Boston Courant
November 17, 2003
Fenway Report:
Prerelease Center to Receive Award
Though it opened on Park Drive less than a year ago, the Brooke House prerelease center for inmates of the Suffolk County House of Correction has already gained acceptance from neighbors, performed local community service and will soon receive an award for its operation.

The Boston Globe
October 25, 2003
Joe Demille Is Building a New Life Dedicated to Helping Others
Joe is a former client from the program that preceded CRJ’s Somerville Transition Shelter.