Greater Buffalo Racial Equity Roundtable Members Tour Hampden County Jail

In April, members of the Greater Buffalo Racial Equity Roundtable’s Reentry Coalition, including Michael Phillips, Superintendent of the Erie County (NY) Sheriff’s Office, Lisa Chimera, Deputy Erie County Executive, Pastor Charles Walker, Program Director at Back to Basics Outreach Ministries, Sherene Bennett, Director, Erie County Service Link Stop, Julianna Everdyke, Director of Dual Recovery and Community Integration at Coordinated Care Services, Inc., Thomas Diina, Chief Reintegration Officer, Erie County Sheriff’s Office and co-chair of the Reentry Coalition, Mark O’Brien, Commissioner, Erie County Department of Mental Health and co-chair of the Reentry Coalition, Felicia Beard, Associate Vice President, Racial Equity Initiatives at the Community Foundation for Greater Buffalo, Jennifer Howell, Lt. Erie County Sheriff’s Office, New Dawn Initiative and Lindsey Allen, Director of Community Programs at Peaceprints of WNY, toured the Hampden County jail in Ludlow, Massachusetts. This national best practice Reentry Program has been in operation under the leadership of the Hampden County Sheriff’s Department for more than 30 years. This visit will help inform program development and enhancement within the Erie County jail management system. Erie County’s Service Link Stop, a one-stop shop for reentering individuals, located at 120 West Eagle Street, was designed based on a 2018 visit to Hampden County.