Minutes from 4/4/16 Meeting (Approved 5/9/16)

Special Commission to Reduce the Recidivism of Sex Offenders
April 4, 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 3/7/16 Meeting

Agenda for 4/4/16 Meeting

Sentencing Draft

Collateral Consequences Draft

Prevention Draft

Commissioners Present:

Co-Chair William N. Brownsberger, State Senator

Co-Chair Paul Brodeur, State Representative

Evandro Carvalho, State Representative (present for middle of meeting)

Robyn Kennedy, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Children, Youth, and Families

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)

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

Kevin Hayden, Chair, Sex Offender Registry Board

District Attorney Marian Ryan (not present at beginning of meeting)

Commissioners Absent:

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

Robert Kinscherff, Ph.D., Esq.

Edward J. Dolan, Commissioner, MA Probation Service

Secretary Daniel J. Bennett (represented by designee Brian Domoretsky)

District Attorney Marian Ryan (represented by designee Denise Duran)

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The Commission approved the draft minutes from the 3/7/16 meeting of the Special Commission to Reduce the Recidivism of Sex Offenders with several corrections to reflect accurately the names and titles of Rebecca Brink, Legislative Director, Executive Office of Health and Human Services, and Deputy Assistant Secretary Robyn Kennedy.

After discussion, the Commission decided to allow the Sex Offender Registry Board and the rest of the drafting group that had included Chair Hayden separately to draft two separate recommendations each relative to 1) data collection and analysis by/of SORB and 2) whether SORB should adopt actuarial tools, for a total of four statements. The Commissioners will vote at the next meeting as to whether they wish to join these statements, which the Commission expects to include in its final report as majority and minority views. They agreed to submit these statements by May 2, 2016.

The Commission decided to move ahead with the sentencing draft with the plan that the Chairs would work to incorporate feedback received before the next meeting.

The Commission decided to move ahead with the prevention draft with the plan that the Chairs would work to incorporate feedback received before the next meeting.

The Commission discussed and voted in favor of moving ahead with the collateral consequences draft, with revisions, and wrapping up the work of the Commission, in lieu of devoting two additional meetings to the question of whether to consider recommendations around registration requirements and consequences. The Commission voted as follows: Senator Lovely, Representative Carvalho, Dr. Kinscherff, and Commissioner Dolan were absent for the vote and not represented by voting designees; Chairs Brownsberger and Brodeur, Deputy Assistant Secretary Kennedy, Dr. Connolly, Brian Domoretsky for Secretary Bennett, and Chair Hayden voted in favor of this plan; and Attorney Levy, Dr. Knight, Dr. Guidry (by phone), Commissioner Gallagher, and District Attorney Ryan voted against this plan.

The Commission decided to move ahead with the collateral consequences draft with the plan that the Chairs would work to incorporate feedback received before the next meeting.

The Commission decided to meet next on May 9, 2016, at 9 am, with a plan to review a draft report, which should incorporate feedback received on the drafts on which the Commission has decided to move forward (collateral consequences, sentencing, and prevention) and should include a majority and minority statement relative to 1) SORB data collection and analysis; and 2) use of actuarial tools by SORB- the majority and minority status of which will be voted on at this next meeting.