Bristol County man sentenced to life in prison as Habitual Offender denied parole request

A Bristol County man with a long criminal history of disturbing crimes was recently denied parole.

According to the parole board, on January 9, 2003, after a jury trial in Bristol Superior Court, 59-year-old Harold Calligan of North Attleboro was convicted of Burglary (Assault on an Occupant) and Larceny in a Building. He was sentenced to life in prison as a Habitual Offender and a consecutive term of four and one half to five years, respectively.

Calligan appeared before the Parole Board for a review hearing on December 1, 2022. He was represented by student attorneys from Northeastern University School of Law. Calligan waived his 2016 initial hearing and postponed his 2021 review hearing.

The Board concluded this month by a unanimous vote that Calligan is not a suitable candidate for parole.

Calligan has a long-standing history of sexual deviancy to include voyeurism, pornography addiction, and multiple rape convictions.

The Board is of the opinion that Harold Calligan has not demonstrated a level of rehabilitative progress that would make his release compatible with the welfare of society. Calligan completed the Sexual Offender Treatment Program recently in December 2021 and explained that his triggers and risk factors included social rejection, hostility toward women, and isolation. Although he has engaged in programming, the Board would like Calligan to pursue rehabilitative programming to directly address victim empathy, including Restorative Justice and others. The Board would like to see Calligan do more work to understand his trauma history that he says directly contributed to his criminal behavior. The Board reviewed the recommendation and report of his treatment providers and agrees that he would benefit from continuing to address the need areas and risk factors identified by his treatment team.

Calligan’s next appearance before the Board will take place in three years.