The Worcester County Jail and House of Correction is
over-crowded and the District Attorney does not appear to be moving the accused
people through the judicial system on a timely basis. Justice delayed is justice
denied. When crimes happen in the prison, the District Attorney also does not
appear to be seeking justice for the victims.
August 1, 2006
Jail cuts cost
of workers’ comp
Glodis credits aggressive effort
By Shaun Sutner
TELEGRAM & GAZETTE STAFF
WEST BOYLSTON— Workers’ compensation costs at the Worcester County
Jail and House of Correction were down $540,470, or 45 percent, in
fiscal 2006 — the biggest reduction in those expenses at more than
100 state and county agencies monitored by the state Human Resources
Division.
Sheriff Guy W. Glodis attributed the cost-cutting to aggressive
efforts by his administration to reduce employee downtime caused by
injury and illness, including assigning an in-house lawyer and case
manager to workers’ compensation claims, referring more cases of
suspected fraud to private investigators and sharing savings with
workers with an incentive program.
“We’ve saved hundreds of thousands of dollars for taxpayers,”
Sheriff Glodis said. “We’ve really emphasized fiscal responsibility.
We’ve put workers on call that we weren’t going to tolerate fraud.”
Union leaders, while applauding the incentive program that will give
workers an average annual bonus of $575, said the workers’ comp
reduction is more the coincidental result of fewer on-the-job
injuries than any initiative by managers, and that some of the
administration’s tactics amount to threats.
“I wouldn’t say workers are abusing workers’ comp. Next year it
could be up 60 percent,” said Steven Kenneway, president of the
Massachusetts Correction Officers Federated Union. “Injuries are
part of the normal ebb and flow of the operation. It’s a very
violent job.”
But Mr. Kenneway said jail workers may be cooperating more
enthusiastically with Sheriff Glodis, who took office at the
beginning of last year. He said the savings sharing — which will
direct about $230,000 to the jail work force in the form of bonuses
— is welcome and something the state correction officers union has
been seeking, so far unsuccessfully.
“What’s happened is there’s a new administration and the officers
are giving it a chance,” Mr. Kenneway said.
Among the various steps they’ve taken to shrink workers’ comp
payouts, managers have sent letters to all employees warning them of
fraud penalties; sent letters to those out on workers’ comp
reminding them of their obligation to return to work when healthy;
and required the first visit to a physician to be to the jail
doctor.
Sheriff Glodis and his aides have shared the ideas with other state
government and county managers at several quarterly meetings over
the past year, according to Brian Hickey, administrator of the Human
Services Division workers’ compensation program.
“I’d have to say they’ve been quite innovative. What they’re trying
to do is to change the culture around workers’ comp,” Mr. Hickey
said. “They’ve clearly had the best success at workers’ comp cost
reduction on a one-year basis.”
Mr. Hickey said he surveyed, at Sheriff Glodis’ request, about 100
public agencies with workers’ comp costs of more than $300,000 per
year. The Worcester County jail achieved the biggest improvement,
though overall state expenses were down 6.6 percent, or $3 million,
for fiscal 2006, which ended June 30.
In fiscal 2005, the county jail’s workers’ comp costs were $1.2
million, compared to $666,000 in fiscal 2006. The jail’s 650
uniformed and civilian workers, meanwhile, will get bonuses ranging
from $150 to $790.
However, Mr. Kenneway, the union leader, charged that some of those
savings were achieved by the use of threats against hard-working
employees.
Sheriff Glodis maintained that the tactics are legitimate managerial
tools designed to ensure that workers are doing what they’re
supposed to.
“I don’t necessarily look at that as threats. I look at it as doing
my job,” he said.
The sheriff said savings, in addition to being disbursed as bonuses,
are partly going toward improving the aging and overcrowded jail’s
physical plant.
The jail also received a funding boost from the state Legislature
this year, from $41 million to $42.8 million for fiscal 2007.
Sheriff Glodis said some of that extra money is also being earmarked
for renovations and improvements such as fire sprinklers to help the
jail meet building and fire codes and gain accreditation for the
first time.
“We’re investing in our infrastructure,” he said.
Contact Shaun Sutner by e-mail at
ssutner@telegram.com .
March 7, 2006
Assault charge
against officer dismissed
FITCHBURG -- An
assault case against Police Sgt. Jeffrey J. Howe has been dismissed,
according to a spokeswoman for District Attorney John J. Conte.
A judge had found probable cause in January to charge Sgt. Howe with
assault by means of a dangerous weapon for pointing his service
revolver at an on-duty deputy sheriff during a traffic stop in 2004.
February 1,
2006
Inmates at jail change cells
Categories are separated
By Milton
Valencia TELEGRAM & GAZETTE STAFF
WEST BOYLSTON—
Inmates at the Worcester County Jail and House of Correction have
been placed in lockdown while administrators work to better
categorize and separate detainees.
With the jail seeking national accreditation, administrators are now
trying to comply with a state code requiring sentenced inmates to be
jailed separately from those awaiting trial.
For years administrators have housed both categories of inmates
together, saying that the jail’s limited space and surging
population leaves them no choice but to house the groups together,
despite the state code. The failure to meet the requirement was
cited by the district attorney last year, when an inmate sentenced
on a drunken-driving conviction was beaten to death by a cellmate
who was awaiting trail.
January 12, 2006
Judge: Sgt. should be charged
FITCHBURG -- A judge has
recommended that police Sgt. Jeffrey J. Howe be charged with assault
with a dangerous weapon for arresting a uniformed corrections
officer at gunpoint in 2004.
Fitchburg Police Chief Edward
F. Cronin said he is standing by Howe, and is confident the charge
recommended by District Court Judge Thomas May will ultimately be
dismissed.
"I strongly disagree with the
judge's decision," Cronin said at a press conference Wednesday.
"Sgt. Howe always has acted with the highest level of integrity."
Howe stopped corrections
officer Joseph F. Coggans, who was driving with another corrections
officer, Lt. Jeffrey Ruggieri, while they were transporting a
prisoner from Fitchburg District Court on Nov. 18, 2004, according
to court documents.
December 17, 2005
Murder plot charges
foiled
Case against inmates dropped
WORCESTER— A judge has dismissed conspiracy charges against two reputed
gang members accused of plotting the jailhouse murder of a fellow inmate.
Conspiracy to commit murder charges against Luis Acevedo and Pedro Quinones were
dismissed by Judge John S. McCann Thursday in Worcester Superior Court at the
request of Daniel W. Cronin, a special prosecutor assigned to the case. Mr.
Cronin told the judge he was asking that the charges be dropped “in the
interests of justice.”
November 18, 2005
conte2006.com
Department of Correction
appeals
detainee transfers from Worcester House of Correction.
Three months after the initial
transfers, Sheriff Guy Glodis has been unable to obtain a reduction in intimate
population.
The
Worcester County Jail and House of Correction
still remains critically overcrowded. Currently the jail population is
1,413 inmates.
September 23, 2005
Worcester House of Correction finds another dead.
Fourth death since being elected in January for Sheriff Guy
W. Glodis
In now what has become a regular occurrence, another
inmate is found dead at the Worcester House of Corrections. On Thursday
September 22, 2005 a 35 year old man was found hanging from his cell.
Jason Smith, of Australia,
was arrested in Holden earlier this month on misdemeanor larceny and
check-forging charges. He was being held on $2,500 bail pending a scheduled
appearance in Leominster District Court Monday.
According to prison official he left a note in his Bible.
Daniel McMullen 41, died in January, his sisters believe that prison guards
were responsible for his death.
John Yovino, 38, was found unconscious in his bunk and died of a heron drug
overdose in February. In April
Ronald G. Binette, 33, who gave authorities addresses in Worcester, was
found hanged from a doorway in a second-floor bathroom in one of the jail’s
modular buildings.
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