Parole Officers Union Asks Massachusetts Commission to Restore Reentry Centers, Fix Training Gap

BOSTON — June 15, 2026 — Massachusetts parole union calls for restored reentry centers and POST certification as commission nears its report. Brian Lucier, president of the Massachusetts Parole Officers Association, and Vice President Shauna Hoxley told the Special Commission on Correctional Consolidation and Collaboration on June 15 that funding for reentry navigator positions was eliminated in 2025 and that parole officers — who carry firearms and hold arrest authority — remain excluded from Massachusetts Police Training Committee certification because of the absence of statutory language. The union urged revival of regional reentry centers that operated from 2004 to 2009, serving 667 non-parolees in 2006 alone across nine cities statewide. Sheriff Nick Cocchi said the POST framework's "goalposts keep moving" with no pathway for parole, and co-chairs Senator Will Brownsberger and Representative Dan Hunt confirmed no July meeting is planned while a November 30 reporting deadline extension works through the Senate budget.