Letter to the Editor: Sheriff Hodgson not doing the job he's supposed to do

Bristol County Sheriff Tom Hodgson has stated that his job is to keep the people of Bristol County safe. But that is incorrect. His actual job is to run his jail. He does not patrol our streets. He does not respond to our 911 calls. He is supposed to run his jails in such a way that after their incarceration, people re-enter the community with better attitudes and are prepared to live lives that contribute to the safety and health of society.

Rehabilitation programs work better at doing this than strong, tough-sounding statements. The reality is that the Bristol County Jail has the highest rate of suicides of all the state’s county jails. In addition, it lacks the necessary counseling for inmates who need it. People in jail for the first time in their lives may not be adjusting well to that but there’s no help for them. Harassing and bullying inmates are all too common. Overcrowding and chain gangs, no effective drug treatment programs, overuse of solitary confinement, overcharging for canteen and phone calls leaving the question as to where the profits go, or denying the necessary prescription drugs to those who need them are conditions that define the Bristol County Jails.

Rather than helping people deal with the issues that landed them in jail to begin with, the treatment at the county jail promotes anger, self-destructive tendencies, and a high state of anxiety.

The sheriff has said, “Our firm, demanding approach to corrections works well”, and, “Jail is not a country club. That’s why once you’ve done time in the Bristol County House of Corrections, you won’t want to come back.” However, twice in the last five years his rate of recidivism (when people re-offend) was the highest in the state. In the other three years it has still been in the 40 percent and above range. That means that almost half of those released from his jail do, in fact, return.

His methods do not work, and his tough talk, though colorful, is empty words. He is not keeping us safe because he is not doing the rehabilitation work needed to insure that ex-prisoners do not re-offend.

If he were to run the jail properly instead of running around the country participating in racist anti-immigration rallies, running wherever there is a microphone, a television camera, or a right wing talk show, his recidivism and suicide rates would not be so abnormally high.

Sheriff Hodgson needs to do his job.

Joe Quigley

New Bedford