Minutes from 3/7/16 Meeting (As Approved at 4/4/16 Meeting)

Special Commission to Reduce the Recidivism of Sex Offenders
March 7, 2016, 9-11 am
One Ashburton Place, 21^st Floor Conference Room, Boston, MA 02133

Meeting Minutes

Materials provided or presented at Commission Meeting:

Draft Minutes from 2/24/16 Meeting

Agenda for 3/7/16 Meeting

EOHHS Statement on Interagency Cooperation

Draft- Actuarials and Data (prepared by Dr. Knight)

Draft- Actuarials and Data (prepared by SORB)

Commissioners Present:

Co-Chair William N. Brownsberger, State Senator

Co-Chair Paul Brodeur, State Representative

Larni Levy, Esq., Committee for Public Counsel Services

Nancy Connolly, Psy.D., Program Director, Mentally Ill/Problematic Sexual Behavior, Program of the Department of Mental Health

Raymond Knight, Ph.D., Gryzmish Professor of Human Relations, Department of Psychology, Brandeis University

Laurie L. Guidry, Psy.D., President, Center for Integrative Psychological Services, Inc., and President, Massachusetts Association for the Treatment of Sexual Abusers (joined by conference call)

Kevin Hayden, Chair, Sex Offender Registry Board

Commissioners Absent:

Joan B. Lovely, State Senator (represented by non-voting designee, Anna Roy)

Evandro Carvalho, State Representative (represented by designee, Peter Roby)

Robyn Kennedy, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Children, Youth, and Families (represented by Rebecca Brick)

Robert Kinscherff, Ph.D., Esq (represented by phone by designee, Joan Tabachnik)

Edward J. Dolan, Commissioner, MA Probation Service (represented by designee, Brian Mirasolo)

Secretary Daniel J. Bennett (represented by designee Doug Levine)

Maureen Gallagher, Director of Policy, Jane Doe, Inc.

District Attorney Marian Ryan (represented by designee Denise Duran)

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The Commission approved the draft minutes from the 2/24/16 meeting of the Special Commission to Reduce the Recidivism of Sex Offenders.

Representative Khan provided an overview of her legislation on an interagency council, as well as the history of the efforts undertaken to prepare the legislation.

Rebecca Brink, the legislative director for the Executive Office of Health and Human Services and Deputy Assistant Secretary Kennedy’s designee for the meeting, introduced Commissioner Connolly from Department of Mental Health, the Paula Potvin, Director of Risk Management from the Department of Developmental Services, and Dr. Yvonne Sparling, Director of Clinical Services for the Department of Youth Services, each of whom presented about the efforts each agency devoted to sex offenders, including interagency cooperation.

Following the presentations, the Commission voted against adopting the draft on interagency cooperation presented at a previous meeting. The following Commissioners voted against the adoption of the prepared draft: Senator Brownsberger, Representative Brodeur, Peter Roby on behalf of Representative Carvalho, Rebecca Brink on behalf of Deputy Assistant Secretary Kennedy, Brian Mirasolo on behalf of Commissioner Dolan, Dr. Connolly, Doug Levine on behalf of Secretary Bennett, and Chair Hayden. The following Commissioners voted in favor of the adoption of the prepared draft: Joan Tabachnik on behalf of Dr. Kinscherff, Attorney Levy, Dr. Knight, and Dr. Guidry. Denise Duran, designee of District Attorney Ryan, voted to abstain. Maureen Gallagher and Senator Lovely were not present and were not represented by voting designees.

The Commission next moved to a discussion of the drafts prepared relative to actuarials and data, prepared by Dr. Knight and Chair Hayden. The Commission decided to focus at its next meeting on a draft to be prepared by Chair Hayden proposing an outcome study of SORB.

The Commission decided to meet next on April 4, 2016, at 9 am.