In Wake of Woburn Officer Jack Maguire’s Murder by Parolee

The Valley Patriot January-2011

Baddour Calls on Parole Board to Resign

 

By: Tom Duggan – January, 2011

Massachusetts State Senator Steve Baddour

 Parole Board Must Resign

State Senators Steve Baddour (D) Methuen and Bruce Tarr (R) Glocester, say that the killing of Woburn Police Officer Jack Maguire at the hands of Dominic Cinelli, a man set free by Governor Deval Patrick’s Parole Board in 2009 while serving three life sentences “cannot go unanswered.”

On December 26, 2010 in the midst of blizzard conditions, Woburn Police Officer Jack Maguire was shot and killed by Massachusetts Parolee Dominic Cinelli, who was at a Kohl’s Department Store trying to rob the jewelry counter with two accomplices. Maguire took four bullets, but before falling from the fatal injuries, he shot and killed Cinelli.

Woburn Police captured two other suspects involved in the planning and getaway with Cinelli. They were arraigned and initially held without bail.
Senator Baddour told The Valley Patriot that he is calling for the immediate resignation of the parole members who were involved in setting Cinelli free, despite his long history of violence in and out of prison.

“Look, the public has no confidence in this parole board now,” Baddour said. “This was disgusting. Every single one of those board members needs to step down immediately and take responsibility for what they did. Only in government can someone make this kind of a decision and keep their jobs. This is why people have no faith in state government.”

Baddour said that the criminal justice system failed the Maguire family and “failed law enforcement.”

Murdered Woburn Police Officer Jack Maguire

 

“We ask these men and women to put themselves on the front line to deal with the most violent people in our state and when they catch them, when the DA’s prosecute them, when the judges sentence them there is no reason they should be let go. It’s this kind of revolving door prison system which puts our families at risk but moreover it puts our police officials at risk. They are on the front lines and we owe them more. We owe Jack Maguire more and we owe his family more. We need to start fresh, start anew, every member of that parole board needs to step down right now. The way we determine who is ready for release and who is not, needs to be reformed from top to bottom and it needs to be done right now.”

Parolees Re-offend at a Higher Rate

Dominic Cinelli-paroleAccording to a study done by The Urban Institute on paroled inmate recidivism rates (those who commit crimes while on parole) in Massachusetts, inmates who served their entire sentence before being released were less likely to than those released on parole.

“The recidivism rate (45 percent) for inmates paroled to the street was significantly higher than the rate of inmates released to the street via expiration of sentence, (36 percent)” the report showed.

“The overall three-year reincarceration recidivism rate among the 1,786 males released from the DOC (Department of Corrections) in 2002 was 39 percent…” the report concluded.

The study went on to show that nearly half of the inmates who continued to commit crimes after being released on Parole was; “Almost half (47 percent) of inmates who recidivated did so within one year of being released; by 18 months after release, 67 percent of those who recidivated had returned to prison.”

“Despite these staggering failures of the parole system in Massachusetts,” Baddour said, “this parole board looked at the history of Cinellli’s violence: attempted murder and even escape and decided to let him loose on the general public anyway. That’s just unacceptable. Our priority in government is to protect the public, first and foremost,” he continued.

“In order to do that, we have to bring down the recidivism rate and they (parole board) know the numbers. They know and they let this guy out anyway. They need to step down and they need to step down now.”

Baddour said he and Senator Bruce Tarr are working on a Parole reform bill. “This is a serious problem. , A life sentence should mean that the criminal spends the rest of his life behind bars. Anyone violent enough to actually get a life sentence in Massachusetts should not be getting released on parole, it’s that simple,” Baddour told The Valley Patriot.

Baddour also said that the bill he and Senator Tarr are working on will include a provision requiring the signature of the governor before any prisoner with a life sentence can be paroled or let out for any reason.

 

Woburn Police Officer Jack Maguire’s Funeral ~Photo: Melissa Mazarella

The Methuen Senator also said that the District Attorney’s who prosecute such violent offenders would be notified by the parole board when considering release.

“There needs to be notification sent to the DA’s office whenever a violent offender like this is coming up for parole. That didn’t happen here. There needs to be a certification letter signed to show that that the D.A. received notification of a parole hearing for these kind of violent offenders and the governor should have to sign off on it if the parole board decides to release someone with such a violent past.


PAROLE REPORT

A unanimous decision in 2008 by Governor Patrick’s Parole Board outlined Dominic Cinelli’s violent past:

“Dominic Cinelli appeared before the Massachusetts Parole Board for a review hearing on November 6, 2008. Since March 1976 Mr. Cinelli has been serving multiple sentences, including 3 concurrent life sentences, following his conviction in Suffolk and Middlesex Superior Courts on several counts of armed and unarmed robbery, habitual offender, unlawful possession of a firearm, assault and battery by means of a dangerous weapon, assault with intent to commit murder and escape.”

The parole report states that in 2005 they rejected Cinelli’s petition for parole and outlined the need to address the “causative factors for his criminal behavior.”

“The Board took note of his substance abuse history, and stated that he was in need of a long period of positive adjustment and programming that adequately addressed the causative factors of his criminal behavior.”

But a few short years later the Parole Board decided that Cinelli’s release “is not incompatible with the welfare of society,” citing a myriad of “programs” that allegedly taught Cinelli how not to be violent. The Board also took into account his good behavior while in prison as some kind of indication that he was no longer too violent to walk the streets.

In 2008, the board stated : “Mr. Cinelli appears to have taken seriously the Board’s admonitions following his last hearing that he needed a long period of positive adjustment and participation in programming to address the causative factors of his criminal behavior. Overall, Mr. Cinelli has been proactive in addressing the Boards’ previous concerns, and has exhibited a strong motivation to achieve his rehabilitative goals. He appears committed to conducting his life in a positive manner. He has not accrued any disciplinary reports or returns to higher custody since 1999. Moreover, his proactive participation in programs aimed at reducing his risk to recidivate is viewed positively by the Board. He shows an extreme dedication to substance abuse treatment.”

“Mr. Cinelli recently completed all 3 phases of Alternatives to Violence. He also participates in church services as a lector and Toast Masters. He presently attends 12 Steps and Saturday NA (Narcotics Anonymous) Discussions. He attended substance abuse programs regularly since 2000. He completed the Correctional Recovery Academy in March of 2000, and Rational Recovery in December 2002. He also has taken several measures to enhance his education and skills. He has completed his GED, Microsoft 1997, Power Technology, Problem Solving, AIDS Awareness, the 16 week Sign Post Group and Transitional Planning.”

“Accordingly, the Board is of the opinion that Mr. Cinelli’s release to community upervision at this time is not incompatible with the welfare of society.”

The decision was unanimous by Board members Mark Conrad, Doris Dottridge, Candace Kochin, Pamela Lombardini, Thomas Merigan, Jr. and Leticea Munoz.

Governor Deval Patrick who appointed the members of the Parole Board, has a checkered past himself when it comes to support for Law Enforcement. Patrick voluntarily defended a cop killer in his private practice as an attorney prior to becoming governor.

Patrick also promised to put 1,000 more police officers on the streets to protect the public in 2004 when he first ran for governor and then cut funding for community policing, laying off nearly 2,000 cops. The governor took more cops off the streets by instituting a “civilian flag man” program on construction jobs replacing thousands of police officers with civilians, some of whom have been proven to have criminal records. He has appointed judges and parole board members who are hostile to law enforcement, opposes the death penalty for cop killers and opposes a victims bill of rights.

As of the time we went to print Governor Patrick has refused to comment on his parole board’s actions in letting cop killer Dominic Cinelli out of prison after being sentenced to three life sentences. He attended the funeral of slain Woburn
Police Officer Jack Maguire in Wilmington last month angering some members of Law Enforcement.

“Well, I think it’s a slap in the face to Jack’s family,” one police officer told The Valley Patriot. “I can’t even imagine what he is thinking. It’s no secret how he feels about cops and it’s no secret that this was partly his doing. Maybe something like this will wake the governor up and he’ll finally see the effect that his ideas and his administration is having on our streets. I really hope so. One thing for sure, he didn’t belong here today and his presence only makes this harder for all of us.”

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