Massachusetts announces new program to help offenders get back into the community

BOSTON – To mark the conclusion of National Mentoring Month, the Executive Office of Public Safety and Security today announced a new pilot program for a mentoring initiative known as the Credible Messenger Program. This unique mentoring opportunity helps individuals involved with the justice system and their families successfully navigate the transition back into the community upon release from a state correctional facility. The Credible Messenger initiative aims to help participants connect with support services and re-engage with the community. The Administration also proposed funding to continue the program in its Fiscal Year 2023 budget plan filed last week.

The program connects returning citizens with mentors with shared lived experiences, known as “credible messengers.” The messengers coach individuals as they prepare to re-enter the community, facilitating access to community resources. The messengers have similar backgrounds to those involved in the criminal justice system and are uniquely positioned to credibly relate to program participants. Many of the trained mentors are formerly incarcerated individuals who have re-engaged with their communities.

The mentorship opportunity is voluntary and offered to individuals who are expected to be released within 90-120 days from Department of Correction facilities, including MCI-Framingham, MCI-Concord, MCI-Shirley and Souza-Baranowski Correctional Center. Mentors meet regularly with mentees to develop personal transition plans and provide mentoring pre-release and up to one-year post-release.

“This innovative program acknowledges the wisdom and expertise of those with similar backgrounds and values their credibility. The mentors meet participants where they are and foster trust through a shared lived experience,” said Terrence Reidy, secretary of Public Safety and Security. “EOPSS is proud to introduce this initiative that aims to help participants successfully re-engage with their communities.”

With a client-driven approach, the messengers engage participants to establish trusting relationships and facilitate a path forward based on an individual’s needs. The mentors assist with pre-release planning, help returning citizens establish community supports, and work with their families to prepare for a participant’s return.

“Mentors with first-hand experience of the justice system have a unique ability to connect with clients and break through barriers to promote successful re-entry and support a returning citizen’s ability to lead a healthy and productive life,” said Andrew Peck, undersecretary for criminal justice. “EOPSS appreciates the commitment and collaboration demonstrated by our criminal justice partners, including the Massachusetts Department of Correction, Parole Board, and Probation Department, to support our efforts to provide clients with this transformative opportunity as they navigate their return to the community.”

Massachusetts joins a growing number of jurisdictions that have launched credible messenger programs across the country, including California, Connecticut, Florida, New Jersey, and cities such as Chicago and New York. An independent, multi-year study conducted by the Urban Institute determined that a similar program in New York City reduced participant recidivism. According to the evaluation, one year felony reconvictions decreased by over two-thirds for program participants and two-year felony reconvictions reduced by half. Findings also showed that credible messengers helped participants to achieve improved self-perception and relationships with others, resulting in sustained attitudinal and behavioral changes.

“The Credible Messenger program is based on the core belief that communities have the transformative resources available to uplift, stabilize, and re-engage returning citizens. The program’s holistic and restorative approach bridges the gaps between individuals and support systems available, leading to more effective life planning and a reduction in re-offending behaviors,” said Lisa Millwood, executive director of the Credible Messengers Program and the EOPSS School of Reentry.

“I would like to say that this work chose me. I am passionate about social justice and helping others to achieve their goals. By sharing my life’s tragedies and triumphs, I hope to inspire others to pursue personal development and realize self-empowerment on their journeys to a healthy, productive, and fulfilling life,” said Jeremy Thompson, a credible messenger. Mr. Thompson was incarcerated from 2007-2011 and has since dedicated himself to helping others learn from his experience, working as a manager at the Hayley House Café, as a street outreach worker for gang-involved youth and now as a credible messenger.

“As the Senate chair of the Joint Committee on Judiciary, I am very encouraged that EOPSS Secretary Reidy, led by EOPSS Undersecretary Peck, has established the Credible Messengers program, hiring formerly incarcerated individuals to connect with released men and women, and support them as they re-enter their communities,” said State Senator Jamie Eldridge (D-Acton). “Over the past two years, the Baker-Polito administration and the Legislature have seen the impact of people with lived experience positively influencing our criminal justice system, and this restorative justice model is an encouraging sign.”

“The Credible Messenger Program builds on a growing body of evidence that show that those with direct lived experience are often best able to support returning citizens,” said State Representative Andy Vargas (D-Haverhill). “In my conversations with several of the credible messengers, it is clear that their work will have immeasurable impact on the lives of formerly incarcerated individuals, their families and our communities. Many thanks to Secretary Reidy, Undersecretary Peck and their team for prioritizing this program and a restorative justice approach that is driven by research and evidence-based programming.”

“With this initiative, Massachusetts is recognizing the expertise of people with lived experience of the legal system and investing in the success of people newly returning from incarceration. Similar approaches have been demonstrably successful in other jurisdictions, so this is a promising step forward in the Commonwealth’s work on issues of justice reform,” said Kendra Bradner, director of the Probation and Parole Reform Project at Columbia University’s Justice Lab.

The Baker-Polito Administration is investing in the mentoring program with funding included in the Administration’s FY23 budget proposal. The Administration’s FY23 budget dedicates funding to a series of key initiatives to support re-entering individuals. EOPSS is implementing several programs to provide returning citizens with pathways to sustained employment, including green career training programs, fair chance employment partnerships, and an innovative aquaponics farm-to-table culinary arts program. Funding is also being allocated to expand capacity for transitional housing.

The Credible Messenger pilot phase will be evaluated to assess outcomes and inform evidence-based policy decisions about ways to continually enhance and improve the program.