Governor's CORI Proposal TODAY!

Boston Globe Alert - Governor's CORI Proposal TODAY!


Dear CORI Reform Supporters,

The Governor's CORI Proposal is being released today. The proposal is a start, but there are still some major reservations that we have. It is an exciting day, but we have a lot of work ahead of us. Please stay tuned for our response to the proposal and our call for next action steps.

Thank you, Aaron - Boston Workers Alliance

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Breaking bars to jobs
By Adrian Walker Globe Columnist / January 11, 2008


Governor Deval Patrick is about to address one of his major campaign promises, and there will be no shortage of strong reaction.

Today, Patrick will unveil his plan to overhaul the state's Criminal Offender Record Information law, better known as CORI. The administration has mapped out its approach largely behind closed doors.

Patrick's proposal was outlined by Public Safety Secretary Kevin Burke in an interview yesterday. An executive order will instruct state agencies to consider criminal history only as the last step in the hiring process, as opposed to blanket policies barring hiring offenders. In addition, applicants would be automatically rejected only if their criminal history had direct bearing on the job involved.

"If someone was being hired as a bookkeeper and had a conviction for larceny, that would be relevant," Burke explained. "If someone was being hired for an [information technology] job and had a conviction for assault and battery, you would make a judgment."

Other parts of the plan will require legislative approval. The legislation, also being filed today, would shorten the time records are sealed. Currently, records are sealed for 15 years for a misdemeanor and 20 years for a felony; in Patrick's proposal, those figures would become 5 years and 10 years, respectively.

CORI was a contentious issue during Patrick's campaign for governor. Advocates of changing the law, who were among his earliest supporters, have argued for years that criminal histories unfairly restrict opportunities to secure jobs and housing. They say so many organizations and companies have access to the records that the intended protections have lost their meaning. Defenders of the current law say employers deserve to know whom they are hiring.

Advocates of change seemed unsure how to react. "We're trying to decipher it to see if it really does what we want it to do, to determine if this is something that is really going to help people," said Horace Small of the Union of Minority Neighborhoods.

Senator Dianne Wilkerson of Roxbury said she does not believe the proposal goes nearly far enough. She has argued that juvenile records should be inaccessible but aren't. She also maintained that the proposal does not go to the heart of the issue, which is that people with criminal records have trouble finding work and rebuilding their lives.

"I think those people who have difficulty finding work because of CORI are not going to have much relief after the release of the governor's plan, and that to me is the most unfortunate part of it," she said. "The only real test is whether last year's no becomes this year's yes."

Catherine Hennessey is one of the people who has known firsthand the difficulties of navigating the job market after prison. She served a six-month sentence in 1989 for drug possession and conspiracy. She began working nine years ago for the Cambridge Health Alliance, as a temporary worker in the physical therapy department. But she wasn't hired permanently until four months ago, because the agency, like many health care agencies, had a policy of not hiring ex-convicts.

"It's just not fair to have a lifetime ban in an industry that has so many opportunities," she said yesterday. "When people are trying to rehabilitate themselves, they have no options."

In truth, the proposed measures are a bit timid, especially given Patrick's often-stated commitment to the cause. But it is certainly a step in the right direction.

Not everyone will think so. But it makes no sense to shut convicts out of the job market. The founding idea behind CORI was to allow convicts to lead productive lives after prison. But over several decades it has come to have the opposite effect, partly because the law is so porous.

How the proposed legislation will fare in election year, in a Legislature with plenty on its plate already, is anyone's guess. Its fate will stand as a test of whether Patrick's ability to govern can catch up to the soaring rhetoric that made him governor in the first place.

Adrian Walker is a Globe columnist. He can be reached at walker@globe.com.

Source URL: http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2008/01/11/breaking_bars_to_jobs/.

--
Aaron Tanaka
Boston Workers Alliance
51 Roxbury St.
Roxbury, MA 02119

p. 617.427.8108
c. 617.359.0336
f. 617. 442.9404
atanaka@bostonworkersalliance.org
www.BostonWorkersAlliance.org

CORI: Juveniles Must Be Included in the Executive Order

It is critical that Governor Patrick doesn't leave out the thousands of juveniles that are negatively harmed by current CORI practices. Please Call Governor Patrick and tell him it is CRITICAL that the following language be included in the Executive Order:

"Only summer camps shall receive juvenile court activity record information records; when juvenile court activity record information is disseminated, employers shall receive court activity records of juveniles limited to cases which contain adjudications of delinquency; all other adjudicatory dispositions of juveniles shall not be disclosed."

Call the Governor at 617.725.4005 or email him at the following link:
http://www.mass.gov/?pageID=gov3utilities&sid=Agov3&U=Agov3_contact_us.

Lisa Thurau-Gray states:

Juvenile records are released to housing authorities, private enterprises—from banks to fast food restaurants, hospitals (sometimes 12 years later), day care centers, and to the summer youth employment programs. Youth with records are denied entry to a panoply of training programs—just by dint of having a record.

Even juvenile records which disclose a youth's case has been dismissed or the youth has been acquitted are used to justify not hiring youth. The release of this information to employers represents the trumping of the arrest information over the disposition of the juvenile judge—an employer sees the charge and assumes there is danger. This dissemination of data vitiates the whole point of the court proceeding by making the fact of the arrest the most salient piece of information.

****************************
''Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter." Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.


--
Union of Minority Neighborhoods

83 Highland St
Roxbury, Ma 02119
617-521-4111

2 Harris Ave
Jamaica Plain, MA 02130
617-522-3349

www.unionofminorityneighborhoods.org

CORI Update

Family,

As some of you know, the CORI reform movement has been pushing Governor Patrick to implement an Executive Order to reform the states draconian CORI system as a means to help the Governor reach his stated goal of providing real relief to individuals affected by CORI this calendar year.

To that end, the Massachusetts Alliance to Reform CORI (MARC) along with the Boston Workers Alliance and the Massachusetts Law Reform Institute drafted an executive order for the Administrations consideration, since it had become clear that reform legislation was not going to occur this year.

Thus began a series of discussions with the administration through the Executive Office of Public Safety. Participants in these discussions included Undersecretaries Mary-Beth Heffernan, John Grossman, and representatives of MARC, BWA, MLRI and Boston City Councilor Chuck Turner.

In the next few days, Governor Patrick will be issuing his executive order which as we understand it, will include the following information:

1) ACCURACY ISSUES:

- The Governor's Executive order is to include major changes in CORI accuracy. This meand converting from a named based system to a finger printing system to ensure accurate CORI's

- The fixing of all incorrect CORI's

- Significantly beefng up staff and improving the technology at the CHSB

- Expanding the training to businesses and others who hire on the reading of CORI's

2) EXECUTIVE OFFICE OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES REGULATIONS:

- The Executive Office of Health and Human Services will rescind the Presumptive Qualifications that give people with CORI's a lifetime ban in health and human services jobs. (However, there is some talk about providing employers with an advisory list of crimes for which employers who represent vulnerable populations are advised to pay attention to. The administration and the Executive Office of Public Safety is aware that we disagree with this proposed advisory list. We have been assured that the administration is taking our concerns seriously, and that no final decision has been made on this idea. We expect to meet with them once again on this issue very soon).

3) LEGISLATION:

- The Administration will be introducing legislation proposing changes in the states sealing law. They are proposing changing the sealing laws from its current 10 years for misdemeanors and 15 years for felonies to 5 years for misdemeanors and 10 years for felonies. CORI activists have been advocating for changes that call for the sealing of records at 3 years for misdemeanors and 7 years for felonies. The administration is open to working with us on our proposal.

- Increasing sanctions, including criminal charges, on businesses who misuse CORI.

WHAT'S STILL IN PLAY:

- Anti-discrimination, particularly the issue of removing the question of past criminal activity on job applications

- Limiting the CHSB in sending out CORI information through regulatory screening via executive order

- Strengthening due process for indiviiduals who's CORI's come back to an employer

Clearly, this is a good first step towards real reform, particularly the EOHHS provision. All of us who have participated in these discussions are clear that the administration of Governor Patrick is serious about reform of the system. However, remember family, THIS IS JUST A FIRST STEP!! We must continue to be vigilant in our organizing. We must ensure that employers honor these expected changes, and we ALL must be committed to the legislative fight that is to come to lower the sealing provision to 3 and 7 years.

When the order is issued, and the above information is what we expect it to say, it will help people immediately...but again, this is just the beginning. We still have to fight for jobs and job training. IT AIN'T OVER!!!

Here's hoping that this information will make your holiday season a little brighter. Have a great holiday, with lots of love and peace thrown in.

Horace

83 Highland St
Roxbury, Ma 02119
617-521-4111

2 Harris Avenue
Jamaica Plain, MA 02130
617-522-3349

www.unionofminorityneighborhoods.org

CORI Screening by Vendors of the City of Cambridge

From: "UMN/Horace Small"
Subject: "CORI Screening by Vendors of the City of Cambridge"
Date: Mon, 26 Nov 2007 11:48:18 +0000

There is more to do!

Although the Cambridge City Council passed the Fair CORI Hiring ordinance over a year ago, the Cambridge City Manager has yet to implement the ordinance. City Councilor Brian Murphy is hold a hearing this Wednesday, November 28th, at 5:30PM at the Cambridge City Hall, in the Sullivan Chamber, 2nd floor, City Hall, 795 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, Massachusetts.

It is critical that you attend and testify to the importance of this ordinance's passing for the good of the community and to allow legitimate access to those individuals needing to provide for themselves, their families, and contribute to their community.

"Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter." Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

See Cambridge City Clerk notice below:

TO: INTERESTED PERSONS

FROM: D. MARGARET DRURY, CITY CLERK

DATE: NOVEMBER 28, 2007 at 5:30 PM

RE: ORDINANCE COMMITTEE HEARING


************************************************

Please be advised that Councillor Brian Murphy, Chair of the Ordinance Committee has scheduled a public hearing of the Ordinance Committee for Wednesday, November 28, 2007 at 5:30 p.m. in the Sullivan Chamber, 2nd floor, City Hall, 795 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, Massachusetts.

The purpose of the hearing is to consider proposed amendments to the Cambridge Municipal Ordinance Chapter 2.112 of the Municipal Code by adding Section 2.112.060, CORI Screening by Vendors of the City of Cambridge, to ensure that the persons and businesses supplying goods and/or services to the City of Cambridge deploy fair policies relating to the screening and identification of persons with criminal backgrounds through the CORI system.

Your kind attention in this matter will be greatly appreciated.
***********************************************

For more information please see the following CORI screening policy text ("CORI Screening by Vendors of the City of Cambridge"):
http://www.cambridgema.gov/CityOfCambridge_Content/documents/CORI%20screening.pdf.

Please come and share your opinion! The City needs to know that CORI reform is important to you!

Best,
-Omar

Omar M.R. Bandar
Special Assistant to the Mayor
Cambridge City Hall
795 Massachusetts Ave, 2nd floor
Cambridge, MA 02139
Tel: 617-349-4329
Fax: 617-349-4320

-

Union of Minority Neighborhoods
83 Highland St
Roxbury, Ma 02119
617-521-4111

2 Harris Ave
Jamaica Plain, MA 02130
617-522-3349

www.unionofminorityneighborhoods.org

CORI WORKING GROUP ANNOUNCES PUBLIC HEARING ON NOVEMBER 7

The CORI Working Group formed by Gov. Patrick following the Sept. 18 judiciary committee hearing has announced that they will hold a public hearing on November 7. The hearing will be be chaired by Secretary of Public Safety Kevin Burke, who will be joined on the panel by Undersecretary for Criminal Justice Mary Elizabeth Heffernan, Health & Human Services Secretary JudyAnn Bigby, and Suzanne Bump, Secretary of Labor & Workforce Development. The panel will also include Joint Committee on the Judiciary chairs Sen. Robert Creedon and Rep. Eugene O'Flaherty, as well as other committee chairs who are participating in the working group. Your presence and/or testimony at this hearing is important as we continue to push forward on this important issue! If you are interested in providing oral or written testimony, please let me know. Following are the details of the hearing:

CORI WORKING GROUP PUBLIC HEARING
Wednesday, November 7
4:00-7:00 p.m.
Gardner Auditorium, State House

Call In for CORI Reform

Call In for CORI Reform (pt 1)!
October 22nd - October 31st

GOOD JOBS can break the cycle of poverty, violence, and incarceration in our communities. BUT the CORI – our state's criminal record check system – stops thousands from obtaining decent work. The time for change is NOW.

Over 600 people came to the State House last month in support of CORI reform. The Governor's Office is deciding whether to act on the CORI issue.

Please support the movement and call your officials today.
---------------------
(617) 725-4005

DEAR GOVERNOR DEVAL PATRICK:

The violence that plagues our streets has put our communities in crisis. CORI is a barrier to jobs, education and housing for both youth and adults.

People with CORIs are being discriminated against, and the waiting period to seal a CORI is too long.

We are counting on you to act now. Don't forget about your community.

SUPPORT THE PUBLIC SAFETY ACT of 2007, H.1416.

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(617) 635-4500

DEAR MAYOR THOMAS MENINO:

As you know, the CORI is creating crises in our neighborhoods. Without jobs, the violence will continue.

Thank you for speaking out for CORI reform.

Please support the "Public Safety Act" (H. 1416) and use your power as mayor to win reforms now.

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Call (617) 427-8108 or email cori.reform@gmail.com for more info or to let us know that you called.

This "CORI Call-In" is co-sponsored by the Union of Minority Neighborhoods, Jobs With Justice, Community Change, Inc., Ex-Prisoners and Prisoners Organizing for Neighborhood Advancement, Community Labor United, Boston Mobilization, and Dorchester People for Peace

www.BostonWorkersAlliance.org

For ex-offenders, CORI law not working

By Michael Jonas September 30, 2007

At a time when residents of high-crime neighborhoods are on edge over the plague of gang and gun violence, Mayor Thomas Menino ventured up to Beacon Hill this month to lobby on behalf of the city's ne'er-do-wells. The mayor was there to testify at a Judiciary Committee hearing in favor of a bill to limit employer access to criminal records. While some might say Menino should focus his energies on law-abiders, not lawbreakers, he is driven as much by a concern for the former as the latter.

"There are young people who made a mistake," says Menino. "I don't believe it should be a life sentence."

Reform advocates have complained that the state's Criminal Offender Record Information law, or CORI, has become just that - preventing those convicted of even minor offenses from being able to turn themselves around and find honest work.

But Menino says the wide access to criminal record information does more than just hold back ex-offenders. "It makes neighborhoods unsafe," says Menino. "It's part of our public safety problem, as I see it."

That's because nearly everyone locked up by the criminal justice system is eventually let out, some 250 inmates every month from the Suffolk House of Correction alone. And the options open to them can have a big impact on whether they end up back behind bars - and whether a law-abiding citizen becomes a victim in the process.

CORI laws keep them from getting jobs and finding a place to live, says Menino. "After a while, they get frustrated and get angry, and they turn to the world they came from," he says.

Under the bill Menino supports, access to full CORI reports would be available only to law enforcement agencies and employers that serve children and other vulnerable populations. Other employers would have access to more limited summaries, while all employers seeking information would have to attend a training session on accurate reading of CORI reports, which are notoriously difficult to decipher.

Horace Small, director of the Union of Minority Neighborhoods and a man not unfamiliar with tossing an occasional grenade at politicians, has nothing but praise for the mayor's willingness to push for changes in the CORI system. "He gets this at the most basic level," says Small. "From a practical level, from a public safety level: Get them jobs and there will be fewer crimes."

That basic level involves regular encounters Menino has with young people, sometimes in his City Hall office, but more often in the neighborhoods where they live. At one such session recently in Dorchester's Uphams Corner, Menino says the CORI issue came up repeatedly.

That plenty of young people not even out of their teens already have criminal records is a depressing thought. That those records could be a barrier to success for even those most determined to get on the right path is an even more grim reality for ex-offenders. But it should be of equal concern to those who share the same neighborhood with them.

"I see a real impact every day that we don't take action," says City Councilor Steve Murphy, who cosponsored a 2005 Boston ordinance that lessens the impact of CORI in city hiring.

Menino says a longtime friend of his with a produce business in Newmarket Square makes it a point to hire young people with records, putting into practice the maxim that the best social program is a job. "They're the best workers he has," says Menino.

That may not always be the case, and there are plenty of jobs that even CORI reform advocates acknowledge should be off-limits to those with records for serious offenses. But there will also be a price paid if state lawmakers and the Patrick administration don't figure out the right balance and fix a system that many agree is not working.

Michael Jonas can be reached at jonas@globe.com

Source URL: http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2007/09/30/for_ex_offenders_cori_law_not_working/

CORI foes continue their fight for Mass. legal reforms

09/27/2007
By Yawu Miller


More than 600 activists from across Massachusetts rallied at the State House last week, urging lawmakers to reform the state’s Criminal Offender Record Information (CORI) system.

Many of the activists — among them ex-offenders and their families, clergy, lawyers and civil rights advocates — crowded the halls of the State House while others testified in a hearing room jammed beyond its 100-person capacity.

The overwhelming majority of those who testified spoke in favor of reforming CORI laws, as did the activists and lawmakers who gathered in front of the State House for a rally.

“We’re going to march,” said Boston Workers Alliance (BWA) organizer Maggie Brown during the rally. “We’re going to demonstrate. We’re going to do whatever we have to do to make them feel the pain we’re feeling in our community.”

The state’s CORI laws were created to give law enforcement officials and prospective employers access to information about ex-offenders. Opponents of the law argue that it goes too far, listing not only convictions, but also arrests and charges that do not result in convictions.

Misdemeanors and charges that are dropped appear on CORI records and remain there indefinitely, leaving an arrest record that makes it more difficult for ex-offenders to obtain even menial jobs.

Ex-prisoners must now wait 10 to 15 years before they are eligible to seal a record for a felony. The proposed reform legislation would reduce the waiting period to seal a CORI to three years for a misdemeanor and seven years for a felony.

The legislation would also provide anti-discrimination protections by allowing employers to check a CORI only after they have shown interest in hiring the applicant, removing non-conviction, not guilty and dismissed cases from CORI records, and allowing juveniles to have their CORIs purged by a judge.

CORI reform advocates last year made a similar push with rallies, marches and lobbying at the State House. The Public Safety Act of 2006 cleared the Senate before House Criminal Justice Committee Chairman Eugene O’Flaherty referred the bill to a study commission made up mostly of law enforcement personnel.

That move effectively killed the legislation. The commission never met, and the legislation died in the House.

This year, the same coalition of CORI reform activists have joined in the Massachusetts Alliance to Reform CORI (MARC) — including the BWA, Neighbor to Neighbor Massachusetts, Ex-Prisoners Organized for Community Action, and the Criminal Justice Policy Coalition.

Others who turned out last week to testify on behalf of CORI reform included Mayor Thomas M. Menino and Suffolk County Sheriff Andrea Cabral.

The reform advocates expressed disappointment when Suzanne Bump, secretary of labor and workforce development under Gov. Deval Patrick, called for the creation of a study commission to look at CORI reforms.

“This has been studied enough,” said Horace Small, executive director of the Union of Minority Neighborhoods and a founder of MARC.

“We are in dialogue with the governor,” he said. “We’re not trying to be disrespectful, but we have to deal with the governor like we deal with anyone else.”

Small said activists are banking on the reform legislation passing this year.

“We know we have a very short window in which to work,” he said. “In 2008, when there’s a presidential election, nobody’s going to want to deal with this.”

Source URL: http://www.baystatebanner.com/issues/2007/09/27/news/local09270714.htm.

Meeting location: Boston Workers Alliance

BWA NEW MEETING LOCATION:

Thursday, Sep 27
5-7pm
Freedom House
14 Crawford Street

Thanks to the gracious people at the Freedom House, the Boston Workers Alliance weekly meetings will now be held at the Freedom House. Please join us this Thursday for CORI and Job Committee Meetings ~ starting at 5pm.

The movement for jobs and CORI reform needs your help!

(617) 427-8108
www.BostonWorkersAlliance.org

Boston Bar Assoc Supports CORI

From: "UMN/Horace Small"
Subject: READ: Boston Bar Assoc Supports CORI
Date: Sat, 22 Sep 2007 15:34:40 +0000

Hello Everyone,

We continue to widen the support of CORI Reform and make strides forward!

--This week the Boston Bar Association release a statement of support for CORI Reform. [See the statement below]
--At the hearing on Sept. 18th Mayor Menino and the Sheriff's testified in support of CORI Reform.
--Also, this week the Cambridge City Manager wrote into policy the Fair CORI Hiring Practice Ordinance the Cambridge City Council had passed last year, thanks to the persistent efforts of Cambridge City Councilor Brian Murphy!\

Our continued unwavering must continue, to get the Judiciary Committee to favorably report the Public Safety Act 2007 - HB 1416 - out of committee and onto the legislative floor for a vote. Continue calling, writing, and visiting your legislators and the Governor to let them know this remains a priority for millions in the commonwealth.

Attached is Frequently Asked Questions on CORI for your reference. You can get the 7 point summary and the full language of the bill at www.unionofminorityneighborhoods.org

Peace,
Jackie Lageson

Boston Bar Association Statement below

Boston Bar Association



press > bba news releases > news release

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
BBA News release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 18, 2007 Contact: Bonnie Sashin, APR
Communications Director
(617) 778-1902

Basic Principles Needed for CORI Reform
So Says Boston Bar Association

BOSTON – As the Massachusetts Legislature prepares to convene a hearing on Criminal Offender Record Information (CORI) reform legislation, the Boston Bar Association today unveiled 12 basic principles covering four categories that meaningful CORI reform demands: Accuracy, Access, Sealing, and Juvenile Justice. The principles were developed by the BBA Study Group on CORI Reform, chaired by employment attorney Jennifer Catlin Tucker.

"Successful re-entry is a critical component of preventing recidivism," said BBA President Tony Doniger. "It is no secret that many employers find it easier to hire someone without a smudge on his or her record than to deal with trying to understand CORI," said BBA President Tony Doniger. "The principles adopted by the BBA provide an important road map for those on all sides of the issue. Where CORI is concerned, nothing is more dangerous than inertia."

BBA STATEMENT OF PRINCIPLES ON CORI

1. Accuracy

A system should be established to improve the accuracy of the CORI that is maintained by the Criminal Systems History Board.
Research should be conducted to determine whether it is advisable to redesign and simplify the form and content of CORI reports in order to make it easier for non-law enforcement personnel to understand them, and to craft more usable guidelines on the subject.
A process must be established that enables the correction of erroneous CORI in a timely and effective manner.

2. Access

The Legislature should consider adopting additional criteria with respect to: (i) who may have access to CORI and under what circumstances; (ii) the content of the CORI that should be released; and (iii) permissible use of the CORI in the housing and employment contexts. In formulating these criteria, the Legislature should consider whether to prohibit the making of housing and employment decisions based solely on the fact of CORI without regard to the content, timing, and relevance of the CORI.

There should be no restriction of access to CORI by law enforcement personnel.
The Legislature should consider creating a system that enables offenders to present prospective employers with documentation reflecting their satisfactory completion of probation or rehabilitation requirements.
Those who have access to CORI should also have access to training that enables them to read and interpret CORI accurately.

3. Sealing

The Legislature should consider developing criteria for sealing CORI which more accurately reflects scientific research regarding recidivism rates and which more precisely distinguishes between categories of offenses which warrant the application of discrete sealing criteria.

The Legislature should consider whether housing authorities and employers should be precluded from denying housing or employment to an individual based solely on the existence of sealed CORI.

4. Juvenile Justice

The CORI system should be revised so that individuals who commit criminal offenses while minors are not prevented from obtaining housing and employment for years after they have completed any probation or other sentencing requirements. The Legislature should consider whether purging or expungement of juvenile records should be permitted under standards to be applied by the courts (except that, records of criminal activity that caused the individual to be designated as a youthful offender under M.G.L. c. 119, s. 52 would not be eligible for purging).

Juveniles should be educated about their rights with respect to their CORI records and potential inquiries of prospective employers and housing authorities.
If prospective employers and housing authorities are permitted to have access to information reflecting an individual's juvenile CORI, they must receive training on how to read and interpret it.



# # #



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Ph: 617.742.0615 | Fax: 617.523.0127
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Questions, comments? contact membership@bostonbar.org


--
Union of Minority Neighborhoods
83 Highland St 2 Harris Ave
Roxbury, Ma 02119 &nb sp; Jamaica Plain, MA 02130
617-521-4111 617-522-3349

www.unionofminorityneighborhoods.org

State House CORI Hearing Debrief

On Tuesday, September 18th, over 600 people descended on the State House in support of the CORI reform proposal, The Public Safety Act of 2007 (House Bill 1416). The Public Safety Act aims to:

1) reduce the waiting period to seal a CORI to 3 years for a misdemeanor and 7 years for a felony (it is currently a long 10-15 years),

2) provide anti-discrimination protections by only allowing employers to check a CORI after they have shown interest in hiring the applicant,

3) remove non-conviction, not guilty and dismissed cases from the CORI,

4) allow juveniles to have their CORIs purged by a judge

As a whole, the vast majority of testifiers came out in support of our bill. Of the many CORI reform proposals, our Bill #1416 was given the most attention. Mayor Menino testified in support of CORI reform, but did not explicitly mention our bill. Deval Patrick's representative Commissioner Bump announced an interest in forming a Study Commission on the issue of reforms. As CORI reform advocates, we are strongly opposed to another Commission and are calling for Govenor Patrick to deliver on his campaign promises to take strong action on this issue, now.

Additionally, State Representatives Gloria Fox, Willie Mae Allen, Cleon Turner and Benjamin Swan all testified in support of 1416. Councilor Chuck Turner made a strong case in favor or reducing the waiting period to seal CORIs, as did representatives from the Massachusetts Bar Association and the Boston Bar Association. Rep Michael Festa, the lead sponsor of the Public Safety Act brought in speakers from Texas, Illinois and Washington DC to give insight into the CORI reforms that have happened across the country. Sheriff's Cabral and Ash also spoke in favor of broad CORI reforms. However, lawyers from the Massachusetts Business Association spoke against 1416 and argued that employers should have full access to CORI records, including dismissed and not-guilty cases.

Most of the people who came out to support the bill were prevented from entering the actual hearing, as the room quickly filled to capacity. In addition, legislators and politicians were given first priority to testify, leaving community leaders, clergy, and labor leaders waiting for nearly 3 hours before being able to speak. For many, these conditions were frustrating.

However, there was a clear sense of the urgency for CORI reform, and nearly everyone in the room besides Chairman Eugene O'Flaherty acknowledge the need for drastic changes in the very near future. It is clear that direct pressure is needed on Chairman O'Flaherty (representing Chelsea and Charlestown), Mayor Menino (to support 1416 on record) and to Govenor Patrick to adopt the main priorities of our coalition and stand up as a real leader.

BWA members Maggie Brown and Stanely Porter testified on the panel with 16 year old Jalelle Cosgrove of the Roxbury Environmental Empowerment Project. The three testifiers drew a powerful picture of the depression and hopelessness that arises from preventing so many people from working. Maggie Brown stated simply, "I want to show my children that working and going to school is the civilized thing to do. With the current CORI laws, I am paralyzed from doing so." Jalelle explained that the thousands of youth who were unemployable and out of school created a recipe for violence in the neighborhoods. Additionally, Emma Bradley and Magnolia Turbidui from Worcester's group EPOCA provided strong testimony describing their personal devastation from the CORI laws.

The hard work of thousands of activists across the State have helped propel this politically unpopular issue onto the cusp of becoming a reality. While CORI reform advocates gain strength, the opposition is also beginning to mobilize. The next several months will be critical for unifying the messages of the many pro-reform players and bringing an definitive clamor into the State House to force real change on this issue.

Stay updated on CORI news at BostonWorkersAlliance.org.

CORI Reform Now!

ALL OUT FOR CORI REFORM!

On Tuesday, September 18th, all concerned residents are called to the State House to demand CORI reform, now! This is our opportunity to demonstrate the urgency of the CORI crisis.

When: This Tuesday, Sept 18th

Rally / Press Conference
11:30am~12:30 pm @ Steps of the State House

CORI Reform Hearing
1pm~6pm @ State House Room B1

Demand passage of the Public Safety Act of 2007 (H.1416) to win comprehensive CORI Reform this year.

Call us @ (617) 427-8108

www.BostonWorkersAlliance.org

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Have You Called Your Legislators Yet?

Find out who your elected officials are by going to www.wheredoivotema.com. Scroll to the bottom of the page and find your Rep. and Senator in the General Court.

Call the State House operator at (617) 722-2000 and ask the operator to transfer you to your Rep or Senator.

Once you are speaking to your legislator's staff, tell them that you support "The Public Safety Act" House Bill 1416, and ask them what they are doing to help pass CORI reform.

Please voice the two demands below:

1) Lower the waiting period for sealing a CORI to 3 years for a misdemeanor and 7 years for a felony. The current law requires a 10-15 years waiting period to seal a record. These long waiting periods prevent us from moving on with our lives and securing decent employment.

2) Demand an "anti-discrimination" law that only allows employers to check a CORI after they decide that the applicant is qualified for the job. Employers that ask about a criminal record on job applications generally weed out job seekers before they even consider our resumes or qualifications. The CORI should not be used unless it is directly related to the job at hand.

Other key figures to call:

Governor Deval Patrick (617) 725-4005
Undersecretary Heffernan (617) 727-7775, Patrick's point person on the CORI

Speaker of the House DiMasi, (617) 722-2500
Chairman of the Judiciary Committee, Representative O'Flaherty (617) 722-2396

Email cori.reform@gmail.com to let us know you called! Thank you for helping the movement for jobs and CORI reform.

------------------------------

What would the Public Safety Act of 2007 do?
H.1416 Fact Sheet

CORI Access

- It would ensure that anyone who has access to CORI other than criminal justice agencies would only get convictions and pending cases.

- It would require that those with access to CORI be trained and pass an examination in reading and understanding a CORI report.

CORI Sealing and Purging

- It would begin sealing all records of felonies more than 7 years old and all misdemeanors more than 3 years old, unless there has been an intervening conviction punishable by 1 year of incarceration or more.

- It would allow for the complete purging of juvenile records upon petition and require the judge to take into account a number of factors before making a decision.

Non-discrimination

- It would make it a discriminatory act to take adverse action against an applicant or employee for merely having a criminal record, but would allow adverse action based on one or more convictions that "substantially relate to the circumstances of a particular employment."

Mandatory Minimums

- It would allow people sentenced under "mandatory minimum" drug laws to seek parole after serving 2/3 of their sentences, thereby making them eligible for drug treatment and other rehabilitative programs prior to release.

Certificate of Commitment to Rehabilitation

- It would create a "Certificate of Commitment to Rehabilitation" so that a record of programs completed in prison or afterwards would be included in a person's CORI.

CORI HEARING at STATE HOUSE

CORI HEARING at STATE HOUSE
September 18, 2007
1:00 pm
to
6:00 pm

*BWA Flyer - CORI Hearing 9.18.07 (click to download flyer)*

(read more..)

Public Hearing on CORI Reform

SAVE THE DATE: ALL OUT FOR CORI REFORM!

Public Hearing on CORI Reform
Tuesday, September 18th
1pm @ The State House
Room TBA

The CORI is destroying our communities, and the time for change is now. On Tuesday, September 18th, we are calling on all concerned residents to converge on the State House to demand CORI Reform Now. Legislators will listen to testimony in support of The Public Safety Act of 2007 (House Bill 1416), and we must flood the State House to ensure that our policy demands are met.

If you or your organization can help mobilize turn out, please contact BWA Staff, Aaron Tanaka at atanaka@bostonworkersalliance.org or call (617)359-0336.

We will need your help to win!

-------

Summary of the The Public Safety Act (House Bill 1416):

1) Lower the waiting period for sealing a CORI to 3 years for a misdemeanor and 7 years for a felony. The current law requires a 10-15 years waiting period to
seal a record. These long waiting periods prevent us from moving on with our lives and securing decent employment.

2) Demand an "anti-discrimination" law that only allows employers to check a CORI after they decide that the applicant is qualified for the job. Employers that ask about a criminal record on job applications generally weed out job seekers before
they even consider our resumes or qualifications.

3) Remove non-conviction, not guilty, and dismissed cases from our CORI. We should not be punished for cases that were dismissed.

4) Require employers to go through a CORI reading seminar. Many employers cannot read the complicated CORI codes, and prevent us from obtaining jobs regardless of the nature or disposition of a case.

5) Allow a judge to expunge juvenile records from a person's criminal history. Youth must be allowed a clean slate to build a better future for themselves. Give the judges the ability to wipe off a record for small juvenile infractions.


Pledge to attend the Hearing at the State House on Tuesday Sept 18th by emailing cori.reform@gmail.com. Our opportunity to win jobs and real justice is here.

--------------------------------------------------------

Contact the Boston Workers Alliance

(617) 427 8108 - phone
(617) 442 9404 - fax
email: info@bostonworkersalliance.org
www.BostonWorkersAlliance.org
51 Roxbury Street
Roxbury, MA 02119

Union of Minority Neighborhoods Communique

Hello Friends and Supporters:

We are heading into some very exciting times. The issue of CORI reform is more vital than ever, and there is movement around the state building towards movement on the Public Safety Act of 2007 (HR 1416). We just wanted to give you a brief update on some things that are ongoing.


Have you been denied a job because of a CORI?

Do you have a resume that proves your work skills?


The Boston Workers Alliance and the Union of Minority Neighborhoods are collecting hundreds of resumes from people who have been denied a job because of their CORI.

Help the movement to reform CORI by donating your resume to our Resume Bank. If you work with people who have CORIs, see if they want to be part of the CORI Resume Bank.

1) Be seen, be heard and be counted! Once we collect enough resumes, we will deliver them to the State House to bring attention to the wasted potential of our workforce due to the CORI.

2) Be notified of any job opportunities that match your work experience

3) If you do not have a resume and you need help creating one, contact us and we will do our best to help you.

Drop your resume off at:

City Councilor Chuck Turner's Office in Dudley Square, 51 Roxbury Street, Roxbury

Or email your resume to CORI.reform@gmail.com.

For any questions, leave a message for Aaron at the BWA at (617) 359-0336 or Sean at UMN at (617) 257 2962.


THE SISTERS UNITED GROUP IS GOING STRONG!!!

We at UMN have recognized the unique needs of women who are affected by CORI. A new group called Sisters United has formed to provide an opportunity for women to gather together, develop their collective strength, and organize for political and economic empowerment.

SISTERS UNITED MEETINGS

WHEN: 1ST AND 3RD Monday of Every Month
WHERE: Harriet Tubman House
566 Columbus Ave.
Boston, Ma 02118
@
6:30pm

Call Jackie Lageson for details: (617) 201-3238 or email jackie.lageson@gmail.com.


SAVE THE DATE!!!

50th Anniversary of the integration of Central High School.

Celebrate the lives & achievements of those in Little Rock who helped spark the struggle against segregation .

September 23rd @ The Freedom House in Dorchester

Call UMN for more details: (617) 541-4111

Enjoy the rest of the summer and we look forward to seeing you at one of our many upcoming events.


Peace,


Union of Minority Neighborhoods
83 Highland St.
Roxbury, Ma 02119
(617) 541-4111
www.unionofminorityneighborhoods.org

ABA considers plan restricting access to arrest, court records

baltimoresun.com

Media groups call proposal a violation of First Amendment
Associated Press
August 9, 2007

WASHINGTON--The public could lose access to certain arrest and court records, even those of people convicted of serious crimes, under a proposal being considered by the nation's largest organization of lawyers.

An American Bar Association committee that drafted the proposal says ready access to court records has led to employment and housing discrimination against people who were arrested but never convicted of crimes or who have completed sentences and returned to society.

News media organizations say limiting public access to records, which would require changes to state and federal law, would violate the First Amendment and make it harder to expose misconduct by police and prosecutors.

The American Bar Association is expected to consider the measure next week at its annual meeting in San Francisco.

The ABA committee pushing for the change says landlords and employers who have easy access to court files through records-checking services sometimes unfairly refuse to hire or rent to people who have not been arrested or convicted.

Stephen A. Saltzburg, a George Washington University law professor who is co-chairman of the ABA's Commission on Effective Criminal Sanctions, said the panel spent two years looking at ways "to improve the chances of people who have criminal records getting jobs and balancing re-entry versus safety."

What the committee found, Saltzburg said, is that when employers or landlords conduct background checks on applicants and "a record shows up, they just don't consider the person, even if there are anti-discrimination laws."

More than 70 million people have criminal records, the ABA said, citing Justice Department statistics.

The proposal urges governments to seal files immediately in cases of people who were arrested but never convicted of crimes, or whose convictions were later set aside. O.J. Simpson, the four Los Angeles police officers accused of assaulting motorist Rodney King and actor Robert Blake, acquitted of murdering his wife, are among those whose state court records would be sealed in California if the state adopted a law closing records on criminal acquittals.

The records of those convicted of misdemeanors and felonies should be closed after an undefined period of law-abiding conduct, the measure says. Violent crimes, large-scale drug trafficking and similarly grave offenses would not be included.

"What most people want, except the press, is a genuine opportunity for people to have a second chance," Saltzburg said.

News media organizations as well as ABA committees on the First Amendment and the media are lobbying against the proposal. The Associated Press Managing Editors is among the media groups opposing the proposal.

"They're asking to dramatically rewrite the law in terms of access to public records," said Kelli L. Sager, a Los Angeles lawyer who co-chairs an ABA First Amendment group.

July 25th Call in Day to Governor Patrick for CORI Reform

Please call on July 25th and forward....

CALL-IN DAY FOR CORI REFORM

HOLD GOVERNOR PATRICK ACCOUNTABLE!

Wednesday July 25th, 2007
9 a.m.-5 p.m.

- There is currently a CORI reform bill at the state house ~ it is called House Bill 1416 (The Public Safety Act)
- The governor is planning on coming out with his own CORI proposal, which may fall short of the reforms we need
- We must ensure that his CORI reform proposal includes changes to the sealing laws and adds anti-discrimination protections for job seekers.

Governor Deval Patrick promised reforms to the CORI system. The time for change is now!

On Wed. July 25th, between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. call the Governor's Office and make your voices heard.

Please voice the two demands below.

Demand:

1) Lower the waiting period for sealing a CORI to 3 years for a misdemeanor and 7 years for a felony. The current law requires a 10-15 years waiting period to seal a record. These long waiting periods prevent us from moving on with our lives and securing decent employment.

2) Demand an "anti-discrimination" law that only allows employers to check a CORI after they decide that the applicant is qualified for the job. Employers that ask about a criminal record on job applications generally weed out job seekers before they even consider our resumes or qualifications.

Please make two calls on Wednesday, July 25 from 9 a.m.-5 p.m.

Governor Deval Patrick's Office, (617) 725-4005

Mary Beth Heffernan's Office, (617) 727-7775
Under Secretary of Criminal Justice
*This is Deval's point person on CORI*

Any CORI Bill that doesn't include these two demands is not real CORI reform. We need meaningful changes now.

------

This call-in was brought to you by the Union of Minority Neighborhoods, Jobs With Justice, Partakers, Inc., Ex-Prisoners and Prisoners Organizing for Community Advancement (EPOCA) and the Boston Workers Alliance.

For more info, call Makis at UMN at 617-980-2313.

CORI editorial

GLOBE EDITORIAL

Broken criminal records
May 22, 2007

PEOPLE CONVICTED of crimes in Massachusetts aren't exiled to faraway Devil's Island or Siberia, and the vast majority of those sent to prison in the state do get out at some point. So then what? Ex-cons are less likely to fall back into crime if they can establish law-abiding lives upon their release.

Unfortunately, some aspects of the current criminal offender record information system, better known as CORI, have become obstacles to rehabilitating offenders. Recently, a task force convened by The Boston Foundation and the Crime and Justice Institute made a series of valuable recommendations on how to improve the status quo. As the Patrick administration ponders potential changes to the CORI process, the task force's report should be the starting point for discussion.

The CORI system, originally intended as a tool for law enforcement, is now used extensively by private employers. Yet some information is entered incorrectly, and the system spits out lots of raw data that are easily misread. A case that never ends in a conviction can generate a CORI file of daunting length.

Ensuring the accuracy and relevance of data available to police and employers is vital. The task force calls for a verification system that would use fingerprints to make sure CORI data is associated with the right person, and for simplifying the format of reports that go to users outside law enforcement, such as potential employers. These reforms should be no-brainers. This page would go a step further and allow the typical private employer access only to convictions and open cases.

The unruliness of CORI data dovetails with the reluctance of many employers to hire ex-offenders. Such hesitation is encouraged by regulations of the state Executive Office of Health and Human Services. Department rules severely limit the ability of the department or its contractors to hire ex-offenders for jobs involving "potential for unsupervised contact" with patients or clients. The logic is obvious: Nobody has a divine right to work in the health field, children must not be entrusted to the care of sex offenders, and people with convictions for beating or scamming the elderly should not work in nursing homes.

'If anything comes out, you're out.' Yet the list of offenses that triggers hiring restrictions is long; it includes everything from murder to making annoying phone calls. Under the rules, more serious charges warrant "lifetime presumptive disqualification" from employment. But even that list covers a broad variety of incidents -- lousy judgment calls as well as outright villainy. As the task force report notes, an assault and battery conviction can stem from striking a helpless senior citizen or from a long-ago bar fight. Ex-offenders are allowed to challenge the presumption that they pose a threat, but the process can be complex and expensive.

Overbroad or not, the rules are hugely influential, because they apply directly to more than 1,000 employers, and many other companies follow them voluntarily. Furthermore, HHS explicitly states that its restrictions can be applied even to employees who don't have unsupervised contact with patients. As a result, people with CORI records of any sort can have trouble getting hired in any capacity in a major field of the state's economy. The mere existence of a record is a deal-breaker for many employers, said task force member Benjamin Thompson, executive director of the Boston unit of the job-training nonprofit STRIVE, at a forum earlier this month. "People don't read CORI reports" in detail, he said. "If anything comes out, you're out."

Yet some healthcare jobs can be suitable for ex-cons. Not every job in the field involves easy access to pills or regular contact with clients. Some jobs even draw on the experience of ex-prisoners, who can be effective in persuading others to stay clean.

Wisely, the task force urges HHS to take a nuanced approach -- to base hiring criteria upon the circumstances of an ex-offender's case and to encourage employers to make a full review of applicants with CORI files. This would not require action by the Legislature; the Patrick administration on its own could write new rules. The task force also proposes expanding the Criminal History Systems Board, which oversees CORI, by adding members versed in workforce development and offender rehabilitation. This helpful change would require legislative action.

Public safety first It's possible to oversell the benefits of reforming the criminal-records system. The task force report treats the issue as a way to expand the state's labor supply, and it recommends that economic-development interests be represented on the CORI board. In fact, the criminal-records system should continue to be judged by its merits as a public-safety tool -- as long as policy makers understand that efforts to prevent recidivism are a vital part of public safety.

The barriers to re entry are high. Of the Massachusetts inmates released in 1999, 44 percent had a new conviction within three years. But some offenders do find their way back into society. Consider Thompson, the task force member who served time in New York for armed robbery more than three decades ago but later earned a graduate degree from Harvard and served as penal commissioner under Ray Flynn, former Boston mayor. To maximize ex-offenders' chances of finding steady work, the state needs an accurate criminal-records system and regulations that allow employers the flexibility to examine individual applicants on their own merits.

And government agencies, including HHS, need to be willing at least to hear low-risk offenders out. At the CORI forum, Parole Board chairwoman Maureen Walsh put the issue succinctly. "If we're going to tell people to take a risk on hiring people, we as the state have to do it. If the state itself isn't doing it, how do we dare ask other people to do it?"

Gaining sympathy for offenders is never easy. But public safety demands an honest effort to get ex-cons into steady jobs.<

May 10th CORI forum at the Boston Foundation

Dear Friend,

Join us on May 10th when City Mission Society's Public Voice Project will be represented at a Boston Foundation Forum on Criminal Justice.

CORI: Opening Doors of Opportunity A Workforce and Public Safety Imperative

Welcoming Remarks:

Paul S. Grogan, President & CEO, The Boston Foundation
Elyse Clawson, Executive Director, The Crime and Justice Institute

Presentation of Task Force Findings and Recommendations:

Elizabeth Pattullo, President & CEO, Beacon Health Strategies, LLC;
Co-chair, Task Force on CORI Employer Guidelines

The Economics of CORI: The Labor Supply and Our Economic Future

Andrew Sum, Director, Center for Labor Market Studies, Northeastern
University

Remarks:

Kevin M. Burke, Secretary of Public Safety, Commonwealth of
Massachusetts

Panel Discussion

Moderator:

Bob Gittens, Vice President for Public Affairs, Northeastern
University; Co-chair, Task Force on CORI Employer Guidelines

Panelists:

The Honorable Byron Rushing, Second Assistant Majority Leader,
Massachusetts House of Representatives
Ben Thompson, Executive Director, STRIVE
Maureen Walsh, Chair, Massachusetts Parole Board; Member, Criminal
History Systems Board
Fay White, City Mission Society, Public Voice Project

THURSDAY, MAY 10th, 2007
8:30 to 10:30 a.m.

Continental Breakfast served at 8:00 a.m.
The Boston Foundation, 75 Arlington Street, 10th Floor, Boston, MA

To reserve a seat, please call 617-338-4390 or email rsvp@tbf.org by MAY 4th. Seating is limited and may be cut off before the RSVP deadline if capacity is reached.

The Understanding Boston forum is supported in part by the Civic Leadership Fund of the Boston Foundation. This is a public forum. The Boston Foundation will be photographing and videotaping this event for archival, informational and educational purposes.