As sheriff of Hampden County, I was disappointed to read the Globe’s call to abolish the office of sheriff in Massachusetts (“Rogue sheriffs should spark a rethinking about this artifact of county government,” Editorial, Sept. 22). That argument overlooks the real progress we’ve made and the lives we’re changing every day.
In Hampden County, we don’t warehouse people, we prepare them to come home better than when they arrived. Our All-Inclusive Support Services program has been helping people since 1996 by connecting them to housing, employment, health care, and treatment. We’ve built a Workforce Initiative that gives people same-day pay for real work, while vocational programs open doors to stable and well-paying careers.
We’ve also expanded treatment options with the Stonybrook Stabilization & Treatment Center and lead the Hampden County Addiction Taskforce to fight the opioid epidemic head-on. Trauma-informed programs like our Stress, Anger, Violence Reduction initiative help people address the root causes of crime. I know mistakes don’t define a person. I’ve made my own, just like the people we help each day. What matters is learning, growing, and coming back stronger than before.
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And the results speak for themselves: Our three-year reincarceration rate is about 26.6 percent, with only 20 percent returning for new crimes — well below national averages. And every state audit of the Hampden County Sheriff’s Office has confirmed we are doing this work responsibly with taxpayer dollars.
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The office of Sheriff in Massachusetts isn’t outdated. It’s a model for modern corrections.
Nick Cocchi
Sheriff of Hampden County
Ludlow