Program Description Booklet.pdf

Massachusetts Department of Correction

Program Description Booklet

Shawn P. Jenkins Commissioner March 2026

Table of Contents

Mission & Vision Statement 3

Massachusetts Department of Correction, Reentry Continuum 4

Program Services Division (Departmental Services) 5

Specialized Program Units 9

Sex Offender Treatment 11

Institutional Program Descriptions 12

Education Division 20

School of Reentry 26

Massachusetts Correctional Industries (MassCor) 27

Secure Facilities MCI Framingham 28 MCI Norfolk 30 MCI Shirley 33 North Central Correctional Institution (North Central Correctional Institute Gardner) Souza Baranowski Correctional Center 37

Specialized Facilities Massachusetts Treatment Center 38 Old Colony Correctional Center 39

Community Corrections Boston Pre-Release Center 41 Northeastern Correctional Center (NECC-Concord) 42 Pondville Correctional Center 43

Mission Statement

Promoting growth, success, and resiliency through a team of correctional professionals who foster a safe, empathic, results-driven environment.

Vision Statement

To be leaders in strengthening environments that contribute to safer and healthier communities.

Program Services Division:

Religious Services The Department provides a variety of religious services, which are supervised and coordinated by chaplain staff. Volunteer clergy and community churches assist chaplains in the provision of services. Chaplains provide regular religious services, religious education, and pastoral care. The Department recognizes that Chaplaincy Services are important by helping the incarcerated individual develop prosocial values. These services are available at all facilities.

Recreation Services The Department offers a wide variety of staff supervised recreational and leisure time activities designed to reduce incarcerated individual idle time and teach pro-social skills to use their time constructively and promote wellness. These services are available at all facilities.

Department Tablet The Department Tablet initiative provides program/education/vocational training/reentry preparation tablets to each incarcerated individual and civil commitment. These tablets are individualized educational platforms for justice involved to prepare for success upon reentry. These tablets allow the Department to increase access to programming via virtual programming formats and provide self-taught enrichment courses. Tablets are available at all facilities.

Volunteer Services Approximately 1,000 volunteers provide a variety of services that supplement established departmental programs. Volunteer services include faith-based, substance use support, self-help, support groups, literacy, cognitive skills, and cultural awareness. These services are available at all facilities.

Self-Improvement Groups Self-Improvement Groups are structured incarcerated individual groups designed to reduce idle time and enhance reentry by providing incarcerated individuals and civil commitments with a forum to develop interpersonal communication, problem solving and basic life skills. Please reference the institution Program Descriptions for Self-Improvement Group availability.

Vendor Facilitated Programs~ Spectrum Health Systems, Inc.

Male Offender Program Continuum

Atlas Program Tablet-based interactive journals grounded in the principles of motivational interviewing, and stages of change providing flexible learning opportunities outside of scheduled programming hours as well as addressing individual needs through structured personalized content. As self-directed, this allows for the creation and implementation of carefully crafted programs to meet the criminogenic needs of the population served. This program is available at Boston Pre-Release, MCI-Norfolk, MCI-Framingham, MCI-Shirley, Old Colony Correctional Center, and Souza Baranowski Correctional Center.

Correctional Recovery Academy (CRA) Correctional Recovery Academy is an intensive 6-month educational program that targets relapse prevention and cognitive behavioral programming. The program utilizes rolling admissions and combines the elements of a therapeutic community’s social learning approach with an advanced cognitive behavioral curriculum. This program is available at MCI-Norfolk, MCI-Shirley, North Central Correctional Institute Gardner, and Northeastern Correctional Center.

Correctional Recovery Academy Graduate Support Program Graduates of the CRA may apply to participate in the peer support program. Peer participants are responsible for co-leading groups under the supervision of CRA counselors. Graduates are also required to attend the community meetings and the weekly continuing care plan group. This program is available at MCI-Norfolk, MCI-Shirley, North Central Correctional Institute Gardner, and Northeastern Correctional Center.

Criminal Thinking Program (CT) Criminal Thinking is a vendor facilitated 8-week program designed to focus on altering the pro-criminal thinking patterns that have been identified as separating those who are serious repeat offenders from those who are not. The program focuses specifically on criminal sentiments and how to develop pro-social alternatives for them. The program assists the participants in developing pro-social alternatives to past activities and associates. Upon completion of the program, participants are recommended to the General Population Maintenance Program. This program is available at all facilities.

Entry Program (TIME – Time to Invest in My Enlightenment) The goal of this program is to encourage participants to understand the connection between investing in their personal growth throughout their incarceration and their future success upon release. It is 7 sessions and takes place over 7 business days. It includes topics such as emotional well-being, personal growth, finances, and education. This program is available at Souza Baranowski Correctional Center.

General Population Maintenance Program Maintenance Program for participants who have completed the Violence Reduction and/or Criminal Thinking program. The program is intended to provide an opportunity for participants who have completed either of these programs to remain engaged to practice and integrate learned skills. The program meets once per week.

This is a continuous program and therefore eligibility requirements are that the participants are 18 months from release. This program is available at all facilities.

Graduate Maintenance Program – Substance Use This program is offered to graduates of substance use programs. During Graduate Maintenance, the program concepts are reviewed, programming skills are practiced, and there is individual work on a recovery plan. This is a continuous program and therefore eligibility requirements are that the participants are 18 months from release. This program is available at all facilities.

Healthy Relationships Healthy Relationships is a 12-session program designed to empower individuals to cultivate healthy pro-social relationships by addressing personal responsibility, self-awareness, and effective communication. This program is available at all facilities.

Knowledge in Recovery This 8-week program is designed to educate and raise awareness of the consequences of continued substance use and includes groups that are psycho-educational, consisting of didactic lectures, group discussions and skills practice. The curriculum is intended to address incarcerated individuals at varying stages while supporting safety. This program is available at all facilities.

Reentry Readiness Workshop The 3-week Reentry Readiness Workshop is offered to participants who are within 2 years of release.

Curriculum is designed to assist incarcerated individuals in the development of the necessary skills to obtain employment through resume building, cover letter writing, mock interviews, and rehearsal of skills of how to maintain employment. The workshop also includes discussions regarding victim impact, social support, housing plans, financial awareness and budgeting, educational referrals, criminal impact, and attainable goal setting. This program is available at all facilities.

Victim Impact Victim Impact is a 13-week program consists of a unique learning environment to enable the “power of the personal story” and its impact on offender thinking and behavior to unfold. The facilitator’s challenge is to set up a rich learning environment that incorporates relevant curriculum materials, adult-centered learning principles, experiential learning opportunities, cultural sensitivity, and activities to facilitate changes in thinking, feeling, and behaviors. This program is available at Boston Pre-Release, MCI Framingham, MCI Norfolk, MCI Shirley, Northeastern Correctional Center, Old Colony Correctional Center, and Pondville Correctional Center.

Violence Reduction Violence Reduction is an 8-week program that targets cognitions that contribute to violent behavior. The goal of this program is to decrease violent behavior and the likelihood of institutional disturbances. During the program, participants identify the specific cognitions which have led to their violent behavior. Once those cognitions are identified, participants are taught pro-social strategies and skills to diminish the likelihood of continued violence. Upon completion of the program, participants are recommended to the General Population Maintenance Program. This program is available at all facilities.

Female Offender Program Continuum Gender responsive and trauma-informed approaches have been incorporated into the framework of services for female offenders. Specific tracks of programs have been designed to address each offender’s specific pathway into the criminal justice system with the goal of reducing the likelihood of recidivism by addressing the unique issues associated with female offenders such as social influence, trauma, abuse, relationship dysfunction, substance use and mental illness.

Building Positive Connections The Building Positive Connections component of Pathways is 26 weeks in length. Programming focuses on addressing past trauma or abuse, relationship dysfunction, as well as substance use. The pathway explores how past abuse, or trauma can influence current behaviors such as substance use or involvement in unhealthy relationships.

Family Preservation Family Preservation is designed to promote appropriate mother/child bonding, relationship building and communication. This program offers a wide range of services to include parenting education classes, parenting support, children’s visit preparation, coordination and referral to available services, professional collaboration with state agencies, and special activity planning. Program staff act as liaison between participants and Department of Children and Families (DCF) for incarcerated mothers whose children are in the custody of DCF.

An additional aspect of Family Preservation is a program called “A Book from Mom”, which is designed to enhance literacy in children. A children’s library is available for women to select age-appropriate books to read during visits with their children. After the visit, children are allowed to leave the visiting room with a book from Mom. The child is allowed to receive a new book during each visit to create his/her own personal library at home. Books are also made available for women to mail home to children.

First Step Program The First Step Program offers voluntary substance use programming to women who are awaiting trial or a civil commitment. Program participants require medical intervention for detoxification and are referred for further programming. The programming component consists of a 20-day schedule of classes on substance use education, overdose and relapse prevention, and interpersonal skill acquisition. The program also offers an individualized aftercare/discharge planning component to support program participants with identifying community-based services to access upon release.

Healing For the Future The Healing for The Future component of Pathways is 26 weeks in length. Programming focuses on several needs that are addressed through a community-based program such as criminal thinking, anger management, and negative or unhealthy relationships and how these are related to substance abuse and life choices. Healing For the Future addresses past trauma and mental health that has affected one’s life and its impact on criminal behavior.

Healthy Living Community The Healthy Living component of Pathways is 26 weeks in length. Programming focuses on disrupting criminal behavior and substance use as social norms. Women confront many aspects of criminal behavior as social norms to develop pro-social attitudes. This is done through cognitive behavioral groups and community activities.

Healthy Opportunities Promote Empowerment (HOPE) The H.O.P.E. program is offered to the awaiting trial population and civil commitments. Upon admission, detainees receive a Texas Christian University Drug Screen assessment. Those who score a low risk for substance use will be offered admission into the H.O.P.E. Program in place of the First Step Program. This program is a non-substance use-based program focusing on areas of need for grief and loss, anger management, criminal thinking, goal setting, reentry, life balance and how to build healthy relationships. The HOPE program occurs over 5 weeks which consists of daily curriculum-based groups and weekly individual sessions with a Spectrum counselor.

Life in Recovery The Life in Recovery component of Pathways is 26 weeks in length. Programming involves basic substance use, such as relapse prevention and general substance use education. Participants in this pathway have access to parenting programming, education, and job development to build self-efficacy, as well as reentry planning.

Motivational Enhancement Program Motivational Enhancement is a 4-week program that introduces participants to basic program concepts while encouraging positive behavioral change. The program is designed to motivate participants to participate in more intensive programs to address their broader criminogenic need areas.

Parenting Inside Out (PIO) Parenting Inside Out is an evidence-based 4-week, cognitive-behavioral parent management skills training program created for incarcerated parents. This program focuses on effective listening and communication, problem solving skills, behavior management strategies, child development and family reunification techniques amongst various other topics.

Parenting Support Group The Parenting Support group is an open forum for participants at MCI-Framingham to openly discuss various issues, concerns, challenges, or accomplishments regarding their children.

Peer Pathway Program The Peer Pathway Program is a structured environment where participants can begin or continue to apply their personal growth experience by helping others and giving back to the community. After successful participation in 26 weeks of programming, addressing their core need areas, and successfully completing a competency panel, a participant may be eligible for the Peer Pathway Program. The program allows participants to receive further programming and training on becoming a peer mentor, a peer tutor, or a peer facilitator. The program’s main goal for the participant is to provide support to other participants through real-life experiences and continue through a program of positive change and growth.

Pathway Electives Pathway Electives are approximately 8 weeks in length and held one time per week. During these programs, participants will work on a series of interactive journals that are designed to promote positive life change. The elective acts as a tool to help participants with reinforcing change, through ongoing reflection and effort. The process of Interactive Journaling will help participants to become open and honest with themselves. By personalizing the information to individual circumstances, participants will be developing a road map to success.

Specialized Program Units

Behavior Assessment Unit (BAU) A Behavior Assessment Unit is a housing unit that is not Restrictive Housing that is used for the assessment of incarcerated and civilly committed individuals who pose an unacceptable risk to the safety, security, and orderly operations of the correctional institution, have a possible personal safety need that needs to be investigated, or who pose a threat to others, and require separation from general population. The goal of this unit is to expeditiously assess an individual’s need(s) and determine if a structured program is recommended to address their need(s).

In addition to a minimum of three (3) hours of unstructured recreation opportunities daily while assigned to a BAU, incarcerated individuals are afforded an opportunity to attend at least one (1) wellness group per week facilitated by treatment/program staff. These groups are designed to increase protective factors through building mindfulness, interpersonal effectiveness, emotional regulation, and distress tolerance skills, which are applicable to a wide range of individuals. Incarcerated individuals in the BAU will also continue to have access to educational services and Personalized Program Plan programming should they be enrolled at the time of placement in the BAU or eligible based on their waitlist status. Additionally, incarcerated individuals in the BAU will have access to tablet-based content for self-directed enrichment programming.

Secure Adjustment Units (SAUs) A Secure Adjustment Unit is a highly structured unit that is not Restrictive Housing which provides access to cognitive behavioral treatment, education, programs, structured recreation, leisure time activities, and mental health services for those incarcerated individuals assessed as needing a specific structured program intervention to support positive adjustment and classified to SAU pursuant to 103 CMR 420, Classification. All SAU’s have a core program intervention that targets an identified criminogenic risk factor and follow a tiered phase system to meet individualized targets and overarching goals and expectations. Each incarcerated individual will have the opportunity to collaborate on the creation of an Individual Program Plan to identify goals for their time in SAU and guide their engagement within the SAU.

The current SAU interventions include:

SAU at MCI Framingham is designed to assist individuals in building the skills necessary to effectively and appropriately be a positive part of their community within MCI Framingham. There is also a focus on relational awareness to understand their effect on their community and how to develop healthy relationships. In addition to the core program, individuals will also be recommended to one of the three (3) tracks to better address their individual needs:

Thoughtful Choices: focuses on addressing self-defeating behaviors and poor choices that have led to negative patterns of behavior.

Emotional Insight: targets those who have extreme reactions to stressful or emotional situations or display a lack of impulse control; or

Expanding Perspectives: aimed at individuals who utilize violence as a tool to meet their desired needs through developing appropriate strategies to get needs met and recognizing the impact actions have on themselves and others.

SAU Medium at MCI Shirley is an intervention that aims to change the thoughts and beliefs that contribute to disruptive behaviors that prevent positive adjustment in a Medium Security environment. Programming focuses on improving decision-making and building motivation for adherence to rules that is preventing positive adjustment in a Medium Security environment.. To further address individual needs and risk, an individual will be recommended to one of three (3) tracks:

Recovery Skills: aims to address disruptive behaviors that are connected to a substance use need and lay the foundation for continued treatment.

Rational Thinking: focuses on developing more effective and prosocial strategies to solve problems, enhance the ability to use consequential thinking to evaluate actions and develop better self-management.; or

Interpersonal Effectiveness: aimed at building and maintaining positive connections and social support, improving communication skills to better address social pressure, and learning to resolve conflicts and engage with others in a more prosocial manner.

SAU Level 4 at Souza Baranowski Correctional Center is an intervention for individuals who have engaged in significant violence or disruptive behavior. The program intervention is designed to reduce instances of violence through enhancing moral reasoning, better decision making, and prosocial behavior. In addition to the core program, individuals will also be recommended to one of three (3) tracks to better address their individual needs and risk factors:

Positive Peer Connections: designed for individuals who engage in criminal or violent behaviors due to their relationships and/or isolation from positive influences.

Cognitive Restructuring: targets patterns of criminal thinking, disregard for authority, or lack of consideration for others and consequences through challenging current beliefs; or

Self-Regulation: aimed at individuals who engage in impulsive behaviors such as violence or aggression due to difficulty controlling anger or frustration, substance use, or low distress tolerance.

Building Responsible Adults through Validation and Education (B.R.A.V.E.)

The B.R.A.V.E. Unit at North Central Correctional Institute in Gardner supports incarcerated emerging adult men by creating an opportunity to have a positive experience while incarcerated that will benefit their familial relationships and communities. The community-centered program is comprised of curriculum groups, mentor workshops, volunteer-led activities, and family engagement events that aim to assist these emerging adults in strengthening personal and community responsibility.

The program incorporates incarcerated individual mentors and centers on encouraging self-reflection and self-improvement, learning interpersonal skills, and enhancing relationships with positive support systems, which includes teaching healthy parenting techniques for those with children.

Incarcerated individuals who are 18-26 years old, have more than 2 years left on their sentence (including first- and second-degree life sentences) and are eligible to be classified to medium security may be considered for the B.R.A.V.E. program. Developmentally appropriate programming for the emerging adult population is offered on the unit as well as the opportunity for individuals with at least one child to take advantage of specific program resources designed to build and foster the parent child relationship.

Progressing Everyday and Changing in Every Way (P.E.A.C.E) The P.E.A.C.E Unit at MCI Framingham opened in June 2024 to support incarcerated emerging adult women with essential skill development, transformative mentoring and building community bonds to advance rehabilitation and promote successful reentry.

The program serves incarcerated individuals between the ages of 18 and 29, providing developmentally appropriate structured and unstructured spaces and activities to learn practical life skills that support positive growth and reentry. The P.E.A.C.E. community nurtures self-sufficiency through the learning and rehearsal of skills, such as independent decision-making, personal responsibility, and positive interactions with others.

Participants will have opportunities to nurture their responsibility and growth through education, self-reflection, and activities that promote positive peer connections.

As active members, the participants will make group decisions, be responsible for their actions, provide support to others in the community, and promote healthy daily living in a safe and supportive environment.

Participants will also be mentored by other incarcerated individuals, who will have an integral role in the community by supporting members and organizing team-building activities.

Reentry Unit The Reentry Unit is a residential program for maximum security incarcerated individuals who are 18 months to release from custody. This unit is designed to prepare incarcerated individuals releasing from maximum security for a successful reintegration to the community, with the goal of reducing recidivism. The program’s main goal is for participants to learn effective, real-life ways to be successful in their recovery and reintegrate back into society while living a life free of crime and substances. This unit is located at Souza Baranowski

Vendor Facilitated Treatment ~VitalCore

Sex Offender Treatment The Department of Correction offers comprehensive Sex Offender Treatment (SOT). The purpose of SOT is to reduce the participant’s risk to reoffend, to increase the participant’s ability to have a successful reintegration into the community, and to increase the participant’s overall well-being. SOT incorporates concepts of the Relapse Prevention Model, the Risk-Need-Responsivity Model, the Good Lives Model, and the Self-Regulation Model. The vast majority of the program is facilitated at the Massachusetts Treatment Center, a facility designated exclusively for the purpose of sex offender treatment. Additionally, there are two satellite sites, North Central Correctional Institute Gardner and Old Colony Correctional Center (SHU Only), where an introduction program is offered, as well as a less intensive programming for lower risk offenders and specialized programming for female offenders (MCI-Framingham) and those who have committed sexual crimes involving possession and distribution of child sexual exploitation material.

Institutional Program Descriptions

Able Minds: A facilitated book discussion designed to shift criminal thinking and teach incarcerated individuals interpersonal problem-solving skills. Incarcerated individuals are expected to read 4-5 works of literature, participate in group discussions and book analysis, and write personal reflections utilizing the “Think First” method of consequential thinking. This program is available at Old Colony Correctional Center, Massachusetts Treatment Center, and North Central Correctional Institute Gardner.

Alcoholics Anonymous: A volunteer-facilitated support program where incarcerated individuals learn about triggers to their behavior, understand past behavior and learn how to build a new, healthier sober lifestyle.

This program is available at all facilities except for Boston Pre Release Center and Souza Baranowski Correctional Center.

Alternatives to Violence (AVP): A volunteer-facilitated program teaches incarcerated individuals how to reduce violence by introducing alternative ways of resolving conflict resulting in a diminished need to resort to violence. Workshops focus on conflict resolution. This program is available at MCI Norfolk, MCI-Shirley, North Central Correctional Institute Gardner, Old Colony Correctional Center, and Pondville Correctional Center.

America’s VetDogs: Sponsored by The Guide Dog Foundation, provides assistance-dogs to disabled veterans and active military personnel. This program is offered at MCI Shirley, Old Colony Correctional Center, and Pondville Correctional Center.

American Veterans in Prison: Serves to educate incarcerated veterans in the areas of housing, taxes, motor vehicle registration, outreach, and counseling. This program is available at MCI Norfolk, MCI Shirley and Old Colony Correction Center.

Anger Strategies: A psycho-educational process program that focuses on developing cognitive, behavioral, and spiritual tools to deal with the different forms of anger. Focusing on how to deal with anger linked to past trauma, present situations, and fear of the future. This program is available at Northeastern Correctional Center

Another Way to Go: A volunteer facilitated program utilizes curriculum developed by the End Violence Project to support incarcerated individuals in successfully transitioning from prison back into society. Participants in this program review a variety of skills such as communication and emotion management that assist them in making a profound and lasting difference in their communities both inside prison and out. This program is available at MCI Framingham, MCI Norfolk, North Central Correctional Institute Gardner, Northeastern Correctional Center, Pondville Correctional Center, and Souza Baranowski Correctional Center.

Art of Living Prison Program: A group based transformative initiative aimed at effectively transforming mindsets, attitudes, and behaviors. This program is available at MCI-Framingham, MCI Norfolk, and Old Colony Correctional Center.

AVP Basic Workshop: Aims to reduce interpersonal violence and present conflict management skills that can enable individuals to build successful interpersonal interactions. This program is available at Northeastern Correctional Center.

Beekeeping: Volunteer facilitated program which provides lectures and hands on experience caring for hives of bees which in turn increases pollination for the environment and can provide goods for the facility such as honey. This program is available at Pondville Correctional Center.

Book Club: Run by the Institutional Librarian is designed to mimic book clubs often offered at public libraries.

This discussion-based program allows incarcerated individuals to practice their reading and writing skills while engaging in pro social discussions which will promote positive peer association. This program is available at MCI Framingham.

Book Discussion and Dialogue: Monthly awareness topics and books assigned each month correlating with the awareness topics and discussion to review the book, as well as a report. and This program is available at MCI Norfolk.

Book Discussion Group: Encourages analysis of changing lives through literature, cultural identity, and book discussion. This program is available at Souza Baranowski Correctional Center.

BRAVE Master Plan Workshop: Ten-part series workshop outlining Chris Wilson’s road map to success while incarcerated. This program is available at North Central Correctional Institute Gardner.

Bridge Club of Greater Lowell Wellness Workshops: Eight workshops designed for individuals within six months of release to gain a greater understanding of reentry planning and challenges post-release. This program is available at MCI Norfolk.

Call to Courageous Manhood: Assists incarcerated individuals in acquiring increased communication and negotiation skills by utilizing wisdom and principles related to such. This program is available at Northeastern Correctional Center.

Canine Companion Program: Puppy raising program providing valuable training experience to incarcerated handlers. Canine Companions is a non-profit organization that provides service dogs to adults, children, and veterans with disabilities. This program is available at MCI Framingham.

Catholic Life: Program led by a Catholic Chaplain or Catholic Volunteer to encourage incarcerated individuals to be involved in church related activities and reinforces sense of identity as members of the Catholic church.

This program is available at Northeastern Correctional Center.

Catholic Rosary: Program led by Department Catholic Chaplain or Catholic Volunteer to provide space and time to recite the Rosary and other various Catholic prayers with other members of the Catholic community.

This program is available at Northeastern Correctional Center.

Chess Club: Teaches new strategies and skills to expand knowledge of Chess, as well as planning, strategy, and problem solving. This program is available at MCI Norfolk.

Christian 12 Step: Discussion based group that teaches the foundation Alcoholics Anonymous/ 12 Steps of Recovery but with a focus on related on Biblical teachings. This program is available at MCI Framingham.

Cognitive Skills Workshops: Teaches incarcerated individuals cognitive skills including problem solving, setting goals, negotiating, assertive communication, asking for help, active listening, and using self-control. This program is available at Boston Pre Release and Pondville Correctional Center.

Companion Continuation Program: Maintains and expands skills successfully completed in the Companion Training Program with hands-on experience and processing within a guided group and annual training. This continuation helps support the population by acting as care attendants. This program is available at MCI Norfolk and MCI Shirley.

Companion Training Program: Training program designed to teach how to safely assist with patient care and enhance awareness of medical companions. This program is available at MCI Norfolk and MCI Shirley.

Ethics for Life: Designed to assist incarcerated individuals with making ethical decisions. The program utilizes video seminars, role modeling, and discussion facilitated by the instructor. This program is available at Boston Pre Release and Northeastern Correctional Center.

Emotional Awareness/Emotional Healing: Designed to foster emotional and spiritual growth and promote responsibility and accountability toward oneself and others. Incarcerated individuals are also taught skills to reduce disruptive behavior. This program is available at MCI Norfolk.

Entrepreneurship: Inspires and empowers individuals who are interested in starting a business. The program will cover a different topic each week leading up to an optional business pitch presentation. Content covered includes coming up with business ideas, why and how to write a business plan, customer definition, positioning, marketing, and sales planning, finance/accounting, the legal aspects of setting up a business, scaling, and pitching your idea. This program is available at MCI Norfolk and Northeastern Correctional Center.

Family Stories Through Collage Art: Demonstrates key elements of the creative process including creating background papers. This program is available at North Central Correctional Institute Gardner.

Family Violence Education Group: Designed to educate incarcerated individuals on the aspects of family violence and intimate partner violence. The goal of this program is to reduce violent incidents, lower recidivism rates, and contribute to safer communities and a healthier society for all. This program is available at MCI Norfolk.

Family Violence Education Group Phase II: Designed for participants who have completed the Family Violence education group and continue to build on the foundation of Restorative Justice Practices, including community building processing, and healing circles to explore how family and intimate partner violence has impacted them. This program is available at MCI Norfolk.

Fathers Group: Discussion group for fathers or parental figures to children in the community. Through volunteer led discussion, individuals are able to open about challenges experiencing as non-custodial parents, and work through this in a safe space. This program is available at MCI Norfolk.

Fatherheart Program: Eight-week, faith-based program designed to assist offenders in family skills. This program is available at Northeastern Correctional Center and Boston Pre-Release.

Financial Literacy: Helps individuals develop practical money management skills. This program is available at North Central Correctional Institute Gardner.

Formative Writing Independent Study: Is for individuals who are interested in additional writing projects/support. The goal is for participants to enhance their skills by learning different writing techniques.

This program is available at Massachusetts Treatment Center and Souza Baranowski Correctional Center.

Garden Program: Group held in the Residential Treatment Unit to provide individuals with an opportunity to plan and care for a garden, where the food produced from the garden can be donated to the community.

Promotes healthy coping, improved problem solving, and interpersonal and social skills. This program is available at Old Colony Correctional Center.

Grief and Mourning for Incarcerated Individuals: Each session deals with a different aspect of realizing, expressing, and sharing the deep emotions of grief and sorrow that are evoked by a death of loved one, targeting the depressive effects of unresolved grief. This program is available at MCI Norfolk.

Health Awareness Education: educates on risk reduction to help lower the risk of infectious diseases. This program is available at MCI Framingham and MCI Norfolk.

Healing The Wounded Heart: Christian based program aims to help incarcerated individuals find healing, engage with the Scripture, and become resilient. Though the program is based in Christianity, all are welcomed to attend the program regardless of their religious belief. This program is available at MCI Shirley.

Heart to Heart Peace Leaders: Supports Incarcerated Individuals reentering communities from incarceration, enabling them to experience more inner peace and to be a healing presence for others. This program is available at Boston Pre-Release Center and Pondville Correctional Center.

Houses of Healing: Designed to foster emotional and spiritual growth and promote responsibility and accountability toward oneself and others. Incarcerated individuals are also taught skills to reduce disruptive behavior. This program is available at MCI Framingham.

Inner Reform Through Islam: Group discussion-based model focused on encouraging individuals to become ‘givers rather than takers’. Participants learn the importance of self-reflection, purifying the soul, softening the heart, and improving one’s character, as well as acknowledge the magnitude of good character in being a pious Muslim. This program is available at MCI Shirley.

Inside Out Dad: Developed for the challenges incarcerated fathers face and connects incarcerated fathers to their children while they are on the inside. This program also prepares incarcerated fathers for reentry. This program is available at Old Colony Correctional Center.

Intermediate American Sign Language: This DOC-instructed program provides inmates, having already taken Introduction to American Sign Language, an opportunity to take the new language skills and begin to use them in communicating through a new language. This program is available at MCI Norfolk.

Introduction to American Sign Language: This DOC-instructed program will open opportunities for deaf inmates to broaden their horizon of social interaction. This class will also afford the opportunity to offenders who may be serving long sentences to prepare for aging within the system and potentially becoming hard of hearing or wanting to communicate with other offenders who are hard of hearing. This program is available at MCI Norfolk.

Introduction to Horticulture: Designed to help participants understand the fundamental concepts of horticulture and teach the core skills required to produce small-scale sustainable gardens. This program is available at MCI Framingham, MCI Norfolk, MCI Shirley, North Central Correctional Institute Gardner, Northeastern Correctional Center, and Pondville Correctional Center.

Islamic Psychology for Self-Betterment: Designed to provide participants with a comprehensive understanding of psychological principles from an Islamic perspective. Integrating traditional Islamic teachings with contemporary psychological theories to foster personal growth and spiritual development.

This program is available at MCI Shirley.

Jericho Circle: Targets a variety of criminogenic risk factors that are precursors to criminal behavior to develop integrity, accountability, and emotional intelligence. This program is available at MCI Framingham and MCI Norfolk.

Jericho Circle Guide Program: Volunteer led training process to prepare individuals to be peer facilitators in circle assisting with the operation of the program. This program is available at MCI Norfolk.

Law Library Clerk Training: Provides pre-employment training in basic legal research and use of electronic legal resources for potential incarcerated individual law library clerks or incarcerated individuals interested in legal research. This program is available at MCI Framingham, Massachusetts Treatment Center, Old Colony Correctional Center, North Central Correctional Institute Gardner and Souza Baranowski Correctional Center.

Menswork: Designed to provide and create educational services that support the personal and social rehabilitation of incarcerated individuals. This program is available at MCI Shirley.

Mindfulness: An Islamic Perspective: Offers a transformative journey towards self-discovery and inner peace within the unique context of correctional facilities. This program is available at MCI Norfolk.

Mindfulness, Meditation and Resiliency: Focuses on the mental and physical health benefits of yoga for incarcerated individuals. The yoga practices will follow the Prison Yoga Project’s guidelines based on their effectiveness in prison classes with a variety of students with different physical and psychological issues. This program is available at MCI Norfolk and Souza Baranowski Correctional Center.

Money Smart: Covers topics such as developing spending plans, budgeting skills, how to choose and maintain a checking account and the basics of building/repairing credit. This program is available at MCI Norfolk and Pondville Correctional Center.

Music Theory Program: Enables participants to learn basic music theory, comprehension, and practice.

Incarcerated individuals join bands to rehearse and perform. This program is available at Massachusetts Treatment Center, MCI Framingham, MCI Norfolk, MCI-Shirley, and Old Colony Correctional Center.

Music Theory Program II: This course builds upon concepts learned in Music Theory This program is available at MCI Norfolk.

Narcotics Anonymous: Discussion/support/fellowship group focuses on the twelve steps of narcotics anonymous and providing community information as appropriate. This program is available at MCI Norfolk and Old Colony Correctional Center.

National Education for Assistant Dog Services-Puppy Program (NEADS): NEADS is a non-profit service dog organization established to provide Hearing, Service and Assistance Dogs for veterans, adults, and children. For example: children on the autism spectrum; veterans or civilians who are deaf or use wheelchairs or whose activities are limited by their disability. These Service Dogs become extensions of their owners and bring freedom, independence, increased mobility, and relief from social isolation to their partners. This is an 18-month program designed to utilize incarcerated individual handlers to teach dogs basic obedience and other skills needed to prepare them for future “careers” as Service Dogs assisting people who are physically disabled. Following their training with the incarcerated individuals, the dogs will then learn the more advanced Service Dog skills at NEADS’ National Assistance Dog Training Campus in Princeton, MA. This program is available at MCI Framingham, Northeastern Correctional Center, MCI Norfolk, and North Central Correctional Institute Gardner.

Norfolk Writers Group: Creative writing program, participants write a short essay or poem based on the topic assigned in the previous month. This program is available at MCI Norfolk.

Orijin Monthly Overview: This program is facilitated by Orijin staff and educates individuals each month on different applications available on the Orijin tablet it is designed to increase awareness of resources and tablet utilization to support learning and rehabilitation. This program is available at Boston Pre Release, Massachusetts Treatment Center, MCI-Framingham, North Central Correctional Institute Gardner, and Pondville Correctional Center.

Parallel Recovery: A comprehensive approach to programming individuals who have both a serious mental illness and a serious substance use disorder, with a goal of helping individuals live independently in the community. This program is available at Old Colony Correctional Center (Recovery Unit only.)

Parents Helping Parents: Aims to provide ongoing help to incarcerated parents through support groups. This program is available at MCI-Norfolk.

Path of Freedom: A mindfulness-based, cognitive-behavioral, and integral approach to self-transformation and personal development. This program is available at MCI Norfolk.

Peace Education Program: Designed to increase the participant’s awareness of the innate resources they have, to manage challenges of life both while incarcerated and after release in a more constructive and positive manner than they might have prior to taking classes. This program is available at MCI Framingham.

Peer Support Program: Provides emotional, informational, and instrumental supports from fellow peers relating which leads to improved wellbeing, increased community support, and links individuals to services.

This program is available at MCI Framingham and MCI Norfolk.

Peer Wellness Support Continuation Program: Maintains and expands skills successfully completed in the Companion Training Program with hands on experience and processing within a guided group and annual training. This program is available at Old Colony Correctional Center.

Peer Wellness Support Training Program: Training program designed to teach how to safely assist with patient care and enhance awareness of medical companions to support the recovery, well-being, and flourishing of individuals who are receiving treatment and evaluation at the Bridgewater State Hospital State sentenced units. This program is available at Old Colony Correctional Center.

Physical and Mental Wellbeing- Yoga: Self-care, yoga program designed to quiet the mind and teach discipline. This program is available at Old Colony Correctional Center.

Prison Fellowship Program: Helps participants to become increasingly pro-social and emphasizes pro-social attitudes and skills developed in a community. This program is available at MCI Framingham, MCI Norfolk, Northeastern Correctional Center, and Old Colony Correctional Center.

Project Youth: Designed for incarcerated individuals to discuss their personal experiences and consequences that resulted in incarceration with high school students. This program is available at MCI Norfolk, MCI Shirley, Old Colony Correctional Center, and North Central Correctional Institution.

Read to Me Father: Unifies incarcerated fathers with their children through the power of reading.

Incarcerated Individuals will be given the opportunity to be recorded while reading an age- appropriate book that speaks to their child’s interest level. The video and the book are then mailed to the child. This program is available at MCI Norfolk and Old Colony Correctional Center.

Read To Me Mommy: Unifies incarcerated mothers with their children through the power of reading.

Offenders will be given the opportunity to be recorded while reading an age- appropriate book that speaks to their child’s interest level. The video and the book are then mailed to the child. This program is available at MCI-Framingham.

Remote Book Discussion: Journal based reading group where individuals read various pieces of writing and discuss questions pertaining to the readings via written response, which enhances reading and writing skills.

Journal is then sent to the volunteer to review and respond. This program is available at Massachusetts Treatment Center.

Restorative Justice 101: Assists incarcerated individuals to understand the impact of Restorative Justice practices that aid in creating a more peaceful and healing prison community It is designed to give offenders a sense of responsibility and empathy for the harm they have inflicted on families and communities. This program is available at Pondville Correctional Center.

Restorative Justice Circle: Restorative justice circles aimed at addressing dynamic criminogenic risk factors and behaviors by promoting accountability, empathy, and positive social interactions. This program is available at Old Colony Correctional Center, North Central Correctional Institute Gardner.

Restorative Justice Maintenance Group: Provides a second layer of exposure to Restorative Justice practices, principles, and theories reviewed in prior programming, focusing on three core domain areas: social responsibility, personal healing, and community impact. This program is available at MCI Framingham and MCI Shirley.

Restorative Justice Recovery Circles: structured eight-week self-help peer group, utilizing the practices of restorative justice to create a safe, healing space, where accountability is likely to take place. This program is available at MCI Norfolk.

Restorative Justice Reading Group: Designed to introduce to the offender what it means to be accountable and responsible with the goal of making amends. This program is available at MCI Framingham, MCI Norfolk, MCI Shirley, Northeastern Correctional Center, and Old Colony Correctional Center.

Restorative Justice Mindfulness Program: Designed to assist incarcerated individuals in learning to become present and to engage in pro-social behavior. It also allows incarcerated individuals to cultivate skills that bring awareness to destructive behavior patterns. This program is available at MCI Norfolk.

Second Thoughts: Develops self-awareness, critical self-reflection, and mentoring skills within the incarcerated population to encourage responsible and rehabilitative behavior. The goal of this program is to build long practiced mentoring skills in order to work post release with high-risk vulnerable urban young men to work through stress and trauma of poverty and violence in urban settings. This program is available at MCI Norfolk.

Spanish Service Bible Study: Readings and reflections of the Bible for Spanish Speaking individuals using discussion group-based format. This program is available at Massachusetts Treatment Center.

Starting Your Own Business: Educates and prepares individuals interested in starting a business.