A Mission of Hope

Exciting. Exhilarating. Energizing. This is the enthusiastic response of Sheriff Donna Buckley, the first female sheriff ever elected to Barnstable County, describing her mission to serve the community, families, and incarcerated individuals. She also carries a sense of solemn responsibility with a forward-thinking vision and a strong determination to ‘get it done’. Her goals are to create new policies and opportunities that incorporate rehabilitation, educational programs, and job training. Sheriff Buckley offers tools, resources, and support for a path toward successful re-entry and future outcomes upon release.

The mission of Family and Friends of Individuals with Mental Illness (FFIMI), a grassroots organization, is to advocate for persons suffering from Serious Mental Illness (SMI) involved in the criminal justice system; to ensure they are provided a continuum of proper psychiatric care, treatment, and services across the entire spectrum of the legal and justice system. With this goal in mind, FFIMI contacted Sheriff Buckley who has been described by colleagues and in the media and written articles not only as a credentialed criminal justice expert but also as a person of compassion. FFIMI had the privilege of meeting with Sheriff Buckley and her staff in December of 2023 and during follow-up Zoom and phone conversations with the purpose of learning more about her work and most especially, of healthcare services designed to serve those with mental illness.

With the “deinstitutionalization” – that is, the emptying of state psychiatric hospitals that began in the 1950s – persons with SMI ended up on the streets and some ended up committing offenses that led them, not to treatment facilities, but to arrest and incarceration. One of the first actions taken by Sheriff Buckley, who has now served in her position since January 4, 2023, was to take stock of what decisions would be best for mental healthcare. She saw merit in in-house competent, compassionate, and top-of-the-line medical personnel. Instead of contracting to outside healthcare companies, Sheriff Buckley utilizes budget dollars more efficiently to obtain a higher level of care, including mental healthcare. She also cites a level of higher accountability and expertise that can only come through the role of direct employer. In addition, Sheriff Buckley has reached out to the Department of Mental Health for guidance and to Carrie Hill, the Executive Director of the Sheriff’s Association, for her knowledge of healthcare within incarceration.

Another priority of Sheriff Buckley that aligns with FFIMI’s mission is the proper training of correctional staff. She finds great merit in providing training to staff on first-aid assistance in mental health crises. Staff learn how to recognize and identify a crisis and how to best diffuse an immediate situation or to ‘hold the line’ until appropriate help arrives. Officers are also trained to identify and inform Health Services Administrator Diana Molloy or case managers if they observe individual inmates as mentally incapable of seeking the help they need.

Finally, with therapeutic results in mind, Sheriff Buckley and Barbara Clarkson, Chief of Inmate Programs and Services, offer programming in overcoming addiction, education on mental illness, anger management, employment, health, nutrition, yoga, and life skills. Commitment to these programs is a commitment to creating a better society. FFIMI applauds Sheriff Buckley’s trailblazer reform efforts, which inspire hope and much-needed positive change. FFIMI expresses its whole-hearted appreciation for all inroads taken toward the most humane treatment of incarcerated individuals. We applaud every effort to provide rehabilitation and proper healthcare, both physical and mental, to assist successful reintegration back into families and communities. Keep up the excellent work, Sheriff Buckley!

 Written by Donna Winant, Founder and Director of FFIMI

Editor’s Note: Please refer to FFIMI’s July 17, 2023 Blog Barnstable County Sheriff Moves To In-House Medical, Mental Health Staff to learn how The Barnstable County Sheriff’s Office made improvements to how they provide medical and mental health care for inmates under their supervision and care.