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Community Work Program
The Community Work Program (CWP) brings eligible and suitable inmates into local
communities to provide labor at no cost to the taxpayers. Service is provided to
public property and public buildings under the supervision of a correction
officer. Inmates provide strong manual labor and for specialty projects, such as
painting, carpentry or masonry, inmates with with talent and experience in those areas
will be used.
Inmates involved in the program are from the minimum security facility at the
Middlesex House of Correction at Billerica. They go through a rigorous screening process and
caseworker review to ensure communities the safest, most trustworthy workers
available. Inmates charged with violent or sexual crimes are not allowed to
participate in the program. All inmates classified as eligible for this program are
nearing the end of their sentence. CWP projects do not displace any public or
private employees, nor do they interfere with union or the public bidding processes.

Sheriff helps clean up Underwood Pool
"This project would not have been accomplished if not for the Sheriff
sending the much needed laborers. The inmates that work in his
program are great, they come here and work hard and get the opportunity
to develop positive work skills."
–Joe Urciola, Belmont Superintendent of Grounds
Belmont Citizen Herald, June 17, 2004
Graffiti Removal Program
This program provides free labor and specialized equipment to remove
unwanted graffiti from public and non-profit facilities and land.

Before After
Fast facts about graffiti
- It costs America more than $8 billion per year just to clean up graffiti.
- Immediate removal - within 24-48 hours - is the key to successful graffiti prevention.
- There are four types of graffiti - tagging, satanic/hate, gang, and generic
(non-threatening messages like "Bobby loves Suzy" or "Class of 2000").
Coordinate
a graffiti awareness campaign
If your class, school, neighborhood group, business or other organization would like to
learn more about what they can do to reduce and remove graffiti, call us at
781-960-2800,
we are available for a discussion and can help your group coordinate a graffiti awareness
campaign.
Help us k eep
Middlesex County beautiful.
Youth Public Safety Academy

Each Summer, the Middlesex Sheriff's Office sponsors a free public safety academy for
9, 10,
11, and 12 year olds. The Academy exposes our youngest citizens to role models in Public
Safety namely their local Police, Fire, Emergency Medical Services and
Sheriffs personnel.
The Academy is run at the Middlesex Training Academy in Billerica.
Transportation and lunch is provided. The Academy runs for one week from Monday to Friday
throughout the summer.
In 2002, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) awarded the Middlesex Sheriff's
Office their prestigious National Disaster Preparedness Award for creating this program.
Zero Drug Tolerance
Provides K-9 searches for schools. Includes educational sessions for parents and students.
Program run in conjunction with Middlesex District Attorney's Office and local police.
Strike Two Program
This program provides tours of the Middlesex House of Correction at
Billerica for at-risk students and/or interested community groups,
giving them a real-life look at the consequences of wrong decisions. Students are treated as adults and engage in discussion about the
decision making process. We emphasize the importance of accepting responsibility for ones
actions.
Strike Two
Officers and the
Sheriff will visit your school bringing with them inmates, many of whom are longtime
substance abusers, to discuss how bad choices (like drinking and driving or drug abuse) led
to incarceration and the dramatic change in lifestyle.
Community Counseling Centers

The Middlesex Sheriff's Office operates Community Counseling Centers in Lowell and in
Cambridge because aftercare and continuity of services has proven to reduce
recidivism. Centers are open for monitoring parolees, probationers and former inmates and
to give them guidance, education and training.
The Community Counseling Centers also allow for alternative
sentencing to help address overcrowding and to offer nonviolent offenders the chance to
succeed through intermediate sanctions including:
Day reporting
Electronic monitoring (bracelets)
Drug testing
HIV/AIDS prevention training
Adult basic education (GED classes)
Victim Services Unit
The
Victim Services Unit, located at our Billerica facility, provides post
conviction informational and support services to victims of crime.
The Victim Services Unit (VSU) is notified of any changes in an inmate’s
classification, and within 14 days prior to the change taking effect,
the victim is notified. The Victim Services Unit will provide
notification to victims by way of a telephone call and a letter to
advise of the following possible situations, escape, change in
classification (move from medium to minimum security), assigned to work
release program and/or treatment facility, or the end of a sentence.
The VSU collaborates with other victim services in other Sheriff’s
Departments, the Massachusetts Department of Corrections, the Sex
Offender Registry Board, the Massachusetts Parole Board, state and local
police departments, and the Middlesex District Attorney’s Office to make
sure all victims are receiving the information they are entitled to. We
also interact with the community to improve victim’s services throughout
the county.
The
Victim Service Unit will also assist with:
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Inquires on Status of
Inmate
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Safety Planning
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Advice on Securing
Protective Orders
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Crisis Intervention
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Phone Counseling
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Referrals to State and
Community Resources and/or Shelters
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Referrals to Law
Enforcement Agencies for use of Cellular Phones
"The
Victim Service Unit provides important information and critical support
services that are so crucial to victims of crime. Our unit exists to
serve victims as effectively as possible as they rebuild their lives.”
–Sheriff James V. DiPaola
Related Links:
Criminal History Systems Board-
http://www.mass.gov/chsb/vsu/vsu.html
Massachusetts Office of Victim Assistance-
http://www.mass.gov/mova/
Department of Corrections-
http://www.mass.gov/doc/
Sex Offender Registry Board-
http://www.mass.gov/sorb/
Attorney General's Office-
http://www.ago.state.ma.us/sp.cfm?pageid=1037
Massachusetts Parole Board-
http://www.mass.gov
Jane Doe- http://www.janedoe.org/
Office for Victims of Crime-
http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/ovc/
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