Code of Massachusetts Regulations › 103 CMR - DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTION › Title 103 CMR 471.00 - Religious Programs And Services › Section 471.05 - Definitions

Current through Register 1525, July 5, 2024
Accredited Representative
. Clergy
				authorized by the central or local governing body of a recognized religious
				group or denomination to represent that group or denomination in performing
				religious programs and services.
Approved Visiting Area
. Areas so
				designated by the Superintendent or a designee where inmates and their visitors
				may conduct visits.
Assistant Deputy Commissioner of
				Reentry
. The executive staff person whose duties include, but are
				not limited to, the management of Classification, Inmate Training and
				Education, Programs and Reentry Divisions.
Assistant Deputy Commissioner - Northern/Southern
				Sector
. The senior level managers who report to the Deputy
				Commissioner, Prison Division and are responsible for ensuring policy
				compliance and standardization of procedures for facilities in each sector, in
				such areas as staff development, labor management, disorder management, and
				overall operations.
Clergy
. A person ordained to perform
				pastoral or sacerdotal functions in a Christian church or the official of a
				non-Christian church.
Commissioner
. Commissioner of the
				Department of Correction.
Community Religious Volunteer
. Any
				person from the community, 21 years of age or older, and approved
via
the volunteer application process to assist a chaplain
				and/or to provide religious programs or services to inmates.
Department
. The Department of
				Correction.
Deputy Commissioner of Clinical Services and
				Reentry
. The executive staff person whose duties include, but are
				not limited to, the management of Classification, Inmate Training and
				Education, Health Services, Programs and Reentry Divisions.
Inmate Management System (IMS)
. The
				Department's automated information system that provides processing, storage and
				retrieval of inmate related information needed by Department personnel and
				other authorized users within the criminal justice system.
Inmate Religious Services Request
				Form
. The form that shall be used to initiate all inmate requests
				for religious services or religious items not presently approved. The Inmate
				Religious Services Request Form is available in all inmate libraries.
Institution Chaplain
. A member of a
				recognized religious group or denomination who is employed by the Department to
				provide religious programs and pastoral services to inmates.
Ordain
. To invest officially with
				ministerial or priestly authority.
Religious Program
. A program which is
				religious in nature and which serves to provide religious education.
Religious Service
. A meeting which is
				religious in nature and provides an opportunity for worship, fellowship, and/or
				congregational participation.
Religious Services Handbook
. A
				reference guide for Department administrators and employees which provides
				general information about a variety of religions and religious practices as
				well as a list of approved religious practices and property items. The
				Religious Services Handbook does not confer any rights or remedies to inmates.
				The Religious Services Handbook shall be maintained in all inmate law
				libraries.
Religious Services Review Committee
. A
				committee consisting of the Deputy Commissioner of Clinical Services and
				Reentry, the Assistant Deputy Commissioners of the Northern and Southern
				Sectors, and the Director of Program Services. The Committee is responsible for
				meeting regularly to review requests for new religious practices, services or
				items, and to render their decisions upon these requests.
Shift Commander
. The officer who has
				overall responsibility for the security of the institution and the care and
				supervision of all inmates and custodial staff during a given tour of
				duty.
Special Diet Request Form
. The form
				that shall be used to initiate all inmate requests for a special religious
				diet. The Special Diet Request Form is available in all inmate
				libraries.
Special Visit
. Any type of inmate
				visit which requires express authorization from the Superintendent or a
				designee.
Special Visiting Area
. Any area of the
				institution, not usually used for visiting purposes, which may be used for a
				particular inmate visit with the express authorization of the
				Superintendent.
Superintendent
. Chief administrative
				officer of a correctional institution.
Unauthorized Practices
. The following
				religious practices and activities are never authorized:
(a) animal sacrifice;
(b) language or behaviors that could reasonably be construed as
				a threat to safety, security, or the orderly running of the institution,
				(
e.g
., curses);
(c) nudity;
(d) self-mutilation;
(e) use, display, or possession of weapons or what appears to
				be a weapon (
e.g
., paper sword, toy gun);
(f) paramilitary exercises;
(g) self-defense training;
(h) sexual acts;
(i) profanity;
(j) consumption of alcohol;
(k) ingestion of illegal substances;
(l) proselytizing;
(m) encryption; and
(n) disparagement of other religions.
Visiting Clergy
. A clergy person of a
				recognized religious group or denomination who is granted access to an
				institution, after consultation with an institution chaplain and with the
				approval of the Superintendent or a designee for a specified period of time,
				for the purpose of providing a religious service.
Volunteer Chaplain
. A chaplain,
				approved
via
the volunteer application process, who provides
				services on a scheduled basis and who is not compensated by the Department for
				such services.