November 17, 2012

The Committee for Effective Public Safety is seeking parole eligible prisoners who have had parole hearings before this new barbaric "Josh Wall" Parole Board to fill out the following Parole Survey. As a liaison to CEPS I ask that you let anyone you know who fits that criteria to please cooperate. This survey will help us to help them by addressing this zealot Josh "Other Death Penalty" Wall. You can contact me directly to get a copy of the survey.

Timothy J. Muise, W66927
MCI Shirley
P.O. Box 1218
Shirley, MA
01464-1218

COALITION FOR EFFECTIVE PUBLIC SAFETY

CEPS Parole Survey for Liaisons

Purpose of survey

The purpose of the survey is to enable CEPS to be well informed about the status of parole in Massachusetts. The Coalition wants to obtain as much information about first hand experience as possible so that we can inform others about what is happening to parole in Massachusetts and develop strategies to advocate for fair policies and practices.

Instructions

CEPS is asking the liaisons at each prison to obtain information from those individuals who would like to share their parole-related experiences with CEPS. We suggest that liaisons record the information on the survey form then return the forms to the CEPS contact person. In some cases, a person may want to tell their own story and send it to us. That is acceptable as well. Although names are not required, it would be helpful to have names so that we can follow up if necessary. CEPS will keep these names and identifying information confidential unless the person involved specifically gives us permission to use them.

Thank you for gathering and sharing this information with CEPS. We value what you can tell us. Please remember that the liaison role is an informational/educational one. CEPS members on the outside want to be well informed and educated about what is happening with parole petitioners and parole and to keep CEPS liaisons on the inside informed about what is happening on the outside.

Please return the surveys by: ASAP. They can be mailed to:

CEPS
P.O. Box 961401
Boston, MA 02196

Respectfully,

CEPS Outreach Committee

P.S.

Parole manuals are now available from Prisoners' Legal Services at no cost. Please write PLS at 10 Winthrop Sq. 3rd Floor, Boston, MA 02110 if you would like a copy. The manuals are intended to help people prepare for their hearings.

Survey Questions

1. If you had a hearing with the new Parole Board (appointed in Spring 2011) and with one of the previous Boards, what, if any, differences did you note between how the old board conducted your hearing and how the new board conducted your hearing?

2. If you had a hearing with the new Parole Board, please describe how the hearing was conducted and how you felt you were treated.

3. Did the Parole Board focus on the facts for your criminal case during the hearing? What effect did that have on you?

4. What questions did the Parole Board ask about your rehabilitation and participation in programming? About your resources and supports in the community?

5. How long have you been waiting for, or how long did you wait for, a Parole Board decision?

6. What conditions of parole were placed on you? Is it possible to meet those conditions? What obstacles, if any, did you encounter in applying for a hearing, such as need for interpretation or translation?

7. If your friends and family attended a hearing, what were their experiences? (We are interested in hearing directly from friends and family members who attended or testified at a hearing. How were they treated while waiting to go to the hearing room? How were they treated if they testified? How about after the hearing?) What were their comments about the hearing? Can we contact them? What is their name and phone # and/or address?

8. How did the hearing impact your family? How did it impact your relationships with your family or loved ones?

9. If your parole was revoked, what reason(s) were you given?

10. What kind of help did you get from the IPO or other DOC/parole staff to prepare for the hearing?

11. What resources, if any, did you find helpful in preparing? Who was helpful?

12. If you had a chance to see the Parole Board since April 2011 and decided to waive your hearing, why did you make that decision?

13. What changes would you like to see with respect to reforming parole in Massachusetts?

14. What else would you like to tell us about your experience?

15. Outside of parole, what issue or suggestion would you like to share with CEPS?