Montgomery County Civic Federation Delegate's Meeting
Monday, December 13th, 7:45
3rd Floor Auditorium, County Council Office Building
Rockville, Maryland
Agenda
7:45 Call to Order
7:46 Announcements & Introductions
7:50 Adoption of Business Meeting Agenda
7:55 Approval of Minutes
8:00 Councilman Phil Andrews - Question C
8:10 Program: Art Wallenstein - County Jail
9:05 Discuss proposed bylaws amendments
9:25 Education Committee resolution
9:35 Old Business
9:50 New Business
10:00 Adjourn
Program
December Program: Art Wallenstein on Corrections and the Jail
by Wayne M. Goldstein, First Vice PresidentWhen King County, Washington, which includes Seattle, learned in August, 1999 that Art Wallenstein, head of their corrections department, was resigning to take a similar job in Montgomery County, their county executive stated: "Seldom does a director come along with the thorough professionalism, respect and credibility needed to manage as efficiently and effectively as Art does... I think Art is the best adult corrections administrator in the United States... Art is as close to irreplaceable as you're going to find anywhere."
From the age of 10, Art had wanted to have a career in the foreign service.
However, after a volunteer stint at Pennsylvania's Eastern State Penitentiary
during graduate school, he decided to pursue a career in corrections instead.
Since then, he has served as assistant warden at
Stateville Prison in Joliet, Illinois and as head of the corrections departments
in Bucks County, Pennsylvania and King County, Washington.
Art has won a number of local and national awards, and in November be became the first correctional administrator to receive the National Commission on Correctional Health Care's "Bernard P. Harrison Award of Merit". This award is reserved for a person (or group of people) who has demonstrated an outstanding commitment to improving health care in correctional facilities.
In an interview he gave after receiving this award, he said he was "seeking to help in the creation of a community-based mental health system to diminish the egregious use of incarceration for chronically mentally ill, non-violent offenders. That is the major issue that is driving me more than anything."
When he left King County, a county councilman there said: "He's the wise old man of the criminal justice system in King County... Everybody goes to him for counsel, not only on criminal justice matters, but a huge range of public policy and personal issues."
Art Wallenstein will tell us about these and other issues of importance to him as a dedicated corrections official and a thoughtful public servant. If you want to see the best in this field at work, be sure to attend our December program.
Meeting Minutes
By Richard Zierdt, Recording Secretary
President Dan Wilhelm presides.
Announcements. Jim Humphrey distributes Housing Committee document. Land Use and Planning Committee discusses the County Government's Shady Grove facilities. Mark Edelman: Board of Education will propose its budget at Rockville High School on Wednesday, 7:30 PM. Public service committee met with delegate Franchot.
Arnie Gordon. Casey Property. Using "Legacy Open Space" property is the issue. Oxbridge wants to develop the entire site. Two public hearings scheduled. Issue added to the agenda. Agenda is then approved.
Minutes of November Regular Meeting are adopted.
Phil Andrews. Congratulates and thanks the MCCF for its work on Question C. Cary, Wayne, Peggy. This was a new issue, and a complicated one. Carroll County voted to go to all (five) local districts. Prince Georges voted to keep their all-local system. This issue is gaining momentum. The size of our County is driving this.
Program. Wayne Goldstein introduces Art Wallenstein, director of the County's Department of Corrections (DoC). Loves his work. Corrections was basically "hands-off" until the 1970's, then became subject to judicial review. DoC now has 16 registered nurses, 960 inmates, no rapes, no lawsuits, regular health care. Citizens are welcome to tour facilities. The County Council's Public Safety Committee oversees the corrections department. Communication is very open. 16,000 intakes per year, 6,000 post bail. 9,000 are booked. Lowest incarceration rate in the State. Focus on education: with $45M annual budget, $254K goes for education. Growing ESOL program. Increasingly diverse prison population with many languages, but primarily African-American at 54%. Diverse staff. 40% recidivism rate. Closing of mental health facilities in the county/state/country is a problem.
Q&A. Cary Lamari: What kinds of vocational training does Corrections provide? AW: Come and visit. There is a 20-computer lab. Inmates are more unskilled than they were 10 years ago. There are more problems. Peggy Dennis: Why do we treat visitors so abominably? AW: Can't speak for 10 years ago, but things are definitely improved today. Q: How is drug addiction handled? AW: Half the prisoners are gone in 24 hours. There is a clinical assessment unit. [A military draft would cause the military to help some of those now in prison.] Arnie Gordon: Most inmates are misdemeanors. Do they vote? AW: Yes. Dick Kaufunger: Learning disabilities? AW: Yes. The best age to stop crime is 0 to 3 years. Adults take more effort to turn around. Richard Zierdt: What do you think of the nation's high incarceration rate, yet lowering crime rate? AW: Longer sentences impact families. More data would help analyze the situation. Not an expert on this issue. Q: Hispanic population? AW: 14% Hispanic population, 14% of the inmate population. Lyle Schofield: Work release? AW: Department has not done a recidivism rate study in 20 years. Workforce development is needed as much as work skill development (getting to work regularly, taking responsibility, etc). There is a bakery study program in the jail. The system creates great bakers, but are they alcoholic? [A few, and that's where workforce development comes in]. Enormous market for bakers. Q: 78 days average stay in work-release. AW: Will try to expand on this. Probation and parole are handled by the State. Luella Mast: Do you meet more kindred souls at profession meetings? AW: Yes, and the number is increasing. Federal government is now very interested. Q: Mental health? AW: Visit our mental health facilities. Excellent staff. Crisis intervention, et.al., but the County corrections department should not become a mental health hospital. Q: Might we lose you to Homeland Security? AW: No. This is the best environment to do public service. Q: How many inmates? AW: 700 in Clarksburg; County takes 25 federal prisoners, and makes money in the process. 200 beds unfilled at Clarksburg. Q: What about the Rockville facility? AW: It is the central booking facility. Stays not to exceed 3 days. Most intakes never see the Clarksburg jail. Really likes the system. Of 3,300 jails in U.S.; 117 are nationally accredited, and two of them are in Montgomery County.
Education Committee: Mark Adelman. Moves that the MCCF recommend to the Board of Education a policy on school "unneeded" properties as printed in the December Newsletter, page 3. Any case histories? Yes. Generally, the BOE gets away with whatever, unless the public monitors the BOE and lobbies it. Never has been a consistent policy. Passes 18-1-0.
Bylaws Committee: Peggy Dennis. Discussion of proposed bylaw changes as printed in the December Newsletter, page 5, dealing with the Nominating Committee. Proposed amendments will be voted on at January Regular Meeting.
Prescription Drug Card for Montgomery County: Cary Lamari. Moves that the MCCF write a letter to the County Council and Executive thanking them for the creation of the health card discount system, but questioning the propriety of the cards having the names of the County Executive and Council President on them. Seconded. Marilyn Praisner and Tom Perez originally proposed the system. Some question the efficacy of the letter; others feel the names are tawdry and disgusting. Some feel this is too small an issue. Some say better prices are found in the Canadian market anyhow. The printing is very small on the card. There are more important issues. Some feel this is otherwise small potatoes, but it is evidence of a heavy-handed political machine at work in the County. Others discount this assessment. Passes 10-5-4.
Washington Grove. Deborah Chambers. About 500 citizens in WG. Distributes pictures of the town and environs. At issue is a 55 acre parcel whose development plan was worked out by the community and the developer, Oxbridge Co. The plan went to the M-NC/PPC Planning Board in 2002. 10 acres have been designated for inclusion in the Legacy Open Space Program (developer to donate) but are not yet formally part of LOS. However, two members of the County Council are now suggesting this LOS land be used for an elementary school site. A separate proposed school site would cost the County millions to buy. The LOS land would be free to the County.
Wayne Goldstein: The only reason the LOS is available is because of the work of the citizens and developer over 4 years. Arnie Gordon moves that the MCCF oppose the proposal to use the LOS site as a school site, but keep the development plan as the developer filed it. Five seconds. Discussion. It is the sense of the MCCF that properties designated for inclusion in the LOS program should not be proposed for any alternative use, since such designation results from the recognition that these valuable environmental and heritage assets are worthy of preservation for future generations. A due process objection would be preferable to a position on a specific site. A substitute motion is then introduced that the MCCF support LOS for its intended purposes, and not be appropriated for other uses. Seconded. Passes 13-1-0.
Meeting adjourned 10:30 pm
This Page Last Edited: December 24, 2004 .