More About MCLS

MCLS (Massachusetts Correctional Legal Services, Inc.) is a not-for-profit legal services corporation, founded in 1972, that provides civil legal assistance to people who are incarcerated in Massachusetts state prisons (Department of Correction facilities) or in the county jails and houses of correction. The office is also known as Prisoners Legal Services.

MCLS assists with problems that prisoners have with the institutions where they are confined. The office does not do criminal defense work (trials or appeals). The office does not handle problems that prisoners have that are not between the prisoner and the institution. For example, MCLS does not provide assistance with child support, landlord-tenant, or divorce problems, although going to jail for even a short time often creates or complicates such problems.

MCLS Staff

MCLS advocacy staff consists of eight lawyers and four paralegals.

The lawyers are Peter Berkowitz, Brad Brockmann, Peter Costanza, Lauren Petit, James Pingeon, Bonnie Tenneriello, Joel Thompson, and Leslie Walker. The Executive Director of MCLS is Leslie Walker.

The paralegals are Amelia Alex, Alphonse Kamanzi, Al Troisi, and Karim Wahid.

Support staff are Jeanne Woods, Linda Rydzewski, and Edna Medina.

MCLS accepts calls from Massachusetts prisoners and their family members on Monday afternoons from 1 to 4 P.M. (800) 882-1413 is a free line for non-prisoners anywhere in Massachusetts. Prisoners in county facilities should call collect on (617) 482-4124. Prisoners in DOC facilities can call on a speed-dial number, *9004#, which is pre-authorized on all state prisoner PIN cards.

All MCLS staff can be reached at email addresses which are in the form firstinitial+lastname@mcls.net.

MCLS is also known as Prisoners Legal Services.

View information submitted to the IRS about MCLS' tax-exempt status.

Massachusetts Correctional Legal Services Board of Directors

Effective December 2007

President Patricia Garin., Esq. Stern, Shapiro, Weissberg & Garin 90 Canal Street Boston, MA 02114 (617) 742-5800	Vice President Ernest Winsor, Esq. Massachusetts Law Reform Institute 99 Chauncy Street Boston, MA 02111 (617) 357-0700, ext. 330
Clerk Beth Eisenberg, Esq. CPCS 44 Bromfield Street Boston, MA 02108 617-988-8343	Treasurer Joseph Zwicker, Esq. Choate Hall & Stewart Two International Place Boston, MA 02110 (617) 248-5065
Wayne Alexander MCI-Nofolk P.O. Box 43 Norfolk, MA 02056	Alvin Carter 11 Alicia Road Dorchester, MA 02124 617-697-9568(c)
Raymond Champagne Souza-Baranowski Correctional Center P.O. Box 8000 Shirley, MA 01464	Celestino Colon Souza-Baranowski Correctional Center P.O. Box 8000 Shirley, MA 01464
Dr. Matthew Dumont 31 Willow Street Belmont, MA 02478 (617)-489-2126	Tony Gaskins MCI-Cedar Junction P.O. Box 100 South Walpole, MA 02071
Robert Grady Old Colony Correctional Center One Administration Road Bridgewater, MA 02324	Mac Hudson Old Colony Correctional Center One Administration Road Bridgewater, MA 02324
Gail Hall New England Research Institutes 9 Galen Street Watertown, MA 02472 Phone: (617) 923-7747 x 269	Joan Johnston 95 Bruce Drive Dalton, MA 01226 413-445-9243
Mala Rafik, Esq. Rosenfeld & Rafik 44 School Street Boston, MA 02108 617-723-7470	Robert Sable, Esq. Greater Boston Legal Services 197 Friend Street Boston, MA 02114 617-371-1234
Michaelene Sexton South Middlesex Correctional Center Box 788 Framingham, MA 01701	Dr. Gregory R. Wagner Harvard School of Public Health 665 Huntington Ave., Rm. 1403 Boston, MA 02115 617-739-3960

Massachusetts Correctional Legal Services
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