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Essex County Sheriff Kevin Coppinger releases 2020 Annual Report

Report highlights COVID response, new reentry initiatives
Posted on: May 21, 2021 - 2:38pm
2020 Annual Report

MIDDLETON, Mass. — Essex County Sheriff Kevin F. Coppinger has released the 2020 Annual Report for the Essex County Sheriff’s Department.

This report details the work of the Department throughout 2020, including its successes, its spending, and its service to community. This is the third Annual Report put out by Sheriff Coppinger since taking office in January 2017. 

“Our department provides a critical service to the 800,000 people living in Essex County and this Annual Report provides a window into the work we do each and every day,” Sheriff Coppinger said. “COVID made it a challenging year, but I believe the details and data shown in this report demonstrate our commitment to safety, care and custody.”

The report highlights the Department’s COVID preparations and response, including administering 2,573 tests to inmates and another 1,320 tests to employees to contain and control the virus within the Department’s three facilities — the Middleton Jail and House of Correction, the Essex County Pre-release and Re-Entry Center in Lawrence, and the Women in Transition Program in Salisbury. 

“COVID-19 forced us to look at everything we do and how we do it — and many good things came from it, including the introduction of video visitation for loved ones and attorneys, as well as providing tablets to inmates to better access programming, educational supports, and counseling,” Sheriff Coppinger said. “These additions and changes will have a long-lasting impact on our efforts to help incarcerated individuals get the tools they need to succeed when they leave our facilities.”

One of the key components of the Department’s specialized reentry service is its Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT) program, which opened in 2019 but realized its first full year in 2020. This program provides those with substance use disorder prescribed medications such as Suboxone, Vivitrol, and Methadone to help them in their recovery. Over 683 inmates participated in the program. 

To support inmate reentry efforts, the Department created new and strengthened partnerships with outside agencies to provide a multitude of services focuses on counseling, workforce training, and education. Partnerships include:

  • ROCA, which helps at-risk individuals ages 18 to 24 through “relentless outreach.”
  • UTEC, which engages younger inmates through programming, transitional coaching, and workforce training.
  • Northern Essex Community College, which offers inmates both HiSET and college level courses.
  • The Department’s Work Release program, which partners with companies to provide jobs to inmates prior to their release. This program provides participants with hands-on experience and a paycheck to establish a job and savings prior to release. Employers include Kettle Cuisine in Lynn, United Plastics in North Andover, and Whitcraft in Newburyport.
  • Volunteers of America (VOA) which runs the Department’s C-Tech training program, offering classes in such fields as fiber optics, copper, and audio visual.
  • Essex Technical High School in Danvers which coordinates the Department’s nationally recognized hardscape training program.

In 2020, the Department also brought in more than $11 million in grant money to support our aggressive efforts in adding reentry services to help inmates be prepared for post-incarceration life.

Among the highlights:

  • A $4 million U.S. Department of Labor grant personally presented to Sheriff Coppinger by then-U.S. Labor Secretary Eugene Scalia. This money will expand our Essex County Re-Entry Vocational Training Center Program to serve 550 inmates. 
  • A $900,000 U.S. Department of Justice grant to help improve reentry services for adults with substance use disorders.
  • A $1.2 million U.S. Department of Justice grant to fund our Medication Assisted Treatment Recovery Project to provide recovery support to 3,000 inmates.

A cornerstone of the Department’s commitment to Essex County is its Community Service program which provides works crews to municipalities and nonprofits at no charge. In 2020, the Department sent out over 250 work crews to perform such services as painting, landscaping, graffiti cleanup, and more. While benefitting Essex County communities, this program also benefits those who participate by allowing them to give back to the region.

The Community Service program also includes “The Farm” in Lawrence which provides a bounty of vegetables to help feed the incarcerated population, as well as those in need in Essex County communities. In 2020, the Department donated almost 26,000 pounds of produce.

“All of these pieces that we pulled together in a difficult year led to much success for our Department, our incarcerated population, and our communities,” Sheriff Coppinger said. “I remain proud and committed to the people of Essex County and feel privileged each and every day to be able to come to work alongside the hard-working and dedicated men and women of our Department.”

For more information or to read the Annual Report, please click here.