FAQs

 

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS


How long has MASCA been around?

MASCA was founded in 1938 as the Middle Atlantic States Parole Conference. In 1949 the name was changed to the Middle Atlantic States Conference of Corrections. In 1980 the name was changed to the Middle Atlantic States Correctional Association. The original member jurisdictions were Delaware, District of Columbia, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania. In 1982 Connecticut joined MASCA and in 1987 Vermont joined to increase the membership to seven states plus the District of Columbia. In 2010 Vermont ceased affiliation with MASCA, creating the current membership of six states plus the District of Columbia.

When are meetings held?

The MASCA Board of Trustees meets each month from September through May to conduct routine business. If any member has an issue for discussion he or she can contact one of his or her state's board members to discuss the issue and arrange to present it to the board in person, if that is deemed necessary. At the annual conference there is an all members meeting on Tuesday after workshops for the day have concluded.

What are MASCA’s goals?

MASCA wants to be the finest professional organization for members of the criminal justice field in North America. To that end we strive to provide the finest training conference in our field, generate additional training and educational opportunities for our members, award college scholarships to students pursuing degrees which will lead to careers in the criminal justice field, and provide other benefits to our members.

Is the conference held at the same place every year?

The MASCA Conference is hosted by a different member state each year and the site is rotated to the host state or a nearby location. We have held conferences in Albany, Hershey, Atlantic City, Baltimore, Mystic, Annapolis, Ocean City and many other popular destinations in the region. The 2018 MASCA Conference is being planned for Mystic, Connecticut.

Does MASCA contribute to any charitable organizations?

Every year a silent auction for charity is held at the annual conference. Additional fundraisers for charity are also held when an opportunity to contribute to a worthy cause is identified. To see a listing of recent contributions, please see the Charitable Contributions screen reached from the "Programs" tab on the Home Page.

Does MASCA recognize criminal justice professionals who have excelled in our field?

Each year MASCA recognizes three or more of our colleagues by presenting them with the Carl Robinson Award, for extraordinary leadership and contributions in the field of corrections; the MASCA Founders Award, for exceptional efforts to promote professionalism in probation, parole, corrections, or juvenile justice; and the Sal Russoniello Award, for extraordinary efforts to advance the educational mission on MASCA. These awards are presented at the annual conference.