Roxbury — On Thursday, October 27, Sheriff Andrea J. Cabral along with members from the Suffolk County Sheriff’s Department welcomed to the House of Correction a delegation hosted by the Institute for Transitional Economies in cooperation with the McCormack Graduate School of Policy Studies at UMass Boston. The twenty-five individuals from the China Center for Town Reform and Development agency were in the United States to examine how governmental agencies and organizations address issues similar to those that the members deal with in China.

Sheriff Cabral briefed the delegation on the Departments role in our society, the responsibilities of the Sheriff and the relationship the Department has with outside agencies and the community. The delegates asked informative questions on a range of topics, including what types of programs are offered to inmates, what the breakdown of incarcerated individuals is and how substance abuse issues are handled. Dan Martini, Director of Budget, spoke to the delegation about the Sheriff’s Department budget and the associated costs of housing inmates. Following the question and answer session, House of Correction Superintendent Gerard Horgan and Deputy Superintendent Steve Jacobs took the group through the booking unit, the infirmary and one of the inmate housing units.

The China Center for Town Reform and Development is a Chinese governmental agency responsible for overseeing economic and community development as well as political reform in rural towns of China. This agency is responsible for the development of a new social service safety net, as well as providing police and fire protection for town citizens.

At the end of the tour, the delegates were thankful for the information that Sheriff Cabral and the Sheriff’s Department had given. The delegation was delighted to have met the Sheriff and tour the Suffolk County House of Correction. Their next stop is the Town of Milton, where they will be briefed on town government and budgeting, and will tour the police department, fire department and a senior center. After that they are planning a trip to Washington D.C.

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