Letter to the Editor: Hodgson needs to focus more inmates, less on D.C.

Is it too much to ask Sheriff Thomas Hodgson to attend to the real problems that exist in his prison, like opioid addiction among inmates, in Bristol County rather than traveling to Washington, D.C. to rally in support of Trump’s racist, anti-immigrant policies?

Clearly his priorities are elsewhere rather than tending to those inmates at the Bristol County House of Corrections in need of some of the most basic items like medication. An editorial in the Boston Globe referred to a pilot program to treat those inmates with opioid addictions as important, necessary and proving to be successful. The Globe sites the results of this program in use for two years by Rhode Island’s Department of Corrections as "evidence based - 61 percent decrease in post-incarceration deaths, contributing to an overall 12 percent in overdose deaths in the state reduction offering medications with impressive results.”

That same day in The Standard-Times, Hodgson is quoted as refusing to join this pilot program. Why, when it is proving successful elsewhere? Hodgson is concerned that inmates will hide, or sell the medication, and hiring additional staff would be costly. In the article, Dr. Holly Alexandre, a family physician and medical director of addiction services at Southeast Health, said "medication-assisted treatment is the standard of care for patients in hospitals, and the jail population should not be treated differently.” We have already read how Sheriff Hodgson treats his inmates - differently for sure.

Regarding his recent visit to D.C., for Trump’s Salute to Heroes of Immigration and Customs Enforcement and U.S. Customs and Border Protection, once again he is speaking in sweeping generalizations and using words from the Trump playbook. I quote, “I stand with President Trump ... in the effort to protect the public from these lawbreakers who entered the US illegally and are committing crimes.” I wish he had the facts to back up this outrageous statement. Most immigrants entering the US are not committing crimes that threaten the rest of us - a broken taillight is not a violent crime. Yes, many are here without proper papers; but Hodgson wants us to believe that all illegal immigrants are members of the MS13 gang; dangerous criminals ready to sweep down upon an unsuspecting victim to steal, rape or murder. He continues to spread fear, trying to make us believe that he is our hero. Just not so. I read that most immigrants are filling needed jobs across the country in agriculture, landscape businesses, hospitality, food service industries; jobs that are critical to the economy of this country.

It is also disappointing that our current administration refers to ICE as heroes when ICE and officials with the U.S. Immigration and Citizenship Services conspire to arrest undocumented immigrants seeking help from the latter organization for approval of a “provisional waiver." The very idea that ICE and Immigration personnel would entrap immigrants wanting to do the right thing is appalling and so wrong.

And again in September, Hodgson will once again not be in his office, nor the county; not even in Massachusetts. Instead he will be heading back to D.C. for a couple of days to join in events sponsored by the Federation for American Immigration Reform and participate in a radio event called “Hold their Feet to the Fire.” Here is how Wikipedia defines FAIR: "a non-profit tax exempt organization in the United States that seeks to reduce both legal and illegal immigration.” The Southern Poverty Law Center defines this organization as an anti-immigration group and has branded it a hate group.

What does it tell you about Hodgson that he would rather spend his time in D.C. with a hate group railing against every immigrant than time in his own jail working on very real problems like opioid addiction to allow for inmates to re-enter our communities as contributing citizens?

Laurie Bullard

Westport