Gov. Mitt Romney appointed the first ever female Department of Corrections commissioner Tuesday to fill a position vacated more than three months ago when then-Commissioner Michael Maloney was forced out amidst a firestorm of criticism.
Romney officially appointed Deputy Commissioner Kathleen Dennehy, who had been acting as interim commissioner, to head the department in a press conference at the Statehouse Tuesday. Romney said she “did such a great job running things that we … decided to give her the job.”
The DOC has faced an onslaught of negative media attention in recent months, which has steadily increased since defrocked priest John Geoghan was murdered by his cellmate in August while in the care of DOC officials. Media investigations into DOC operations after Geoghan’s murder exposed security lapses and poor prison conditions, causing public officials to closely reexamine the department’s practices.
Despite recent improvements, Romney said the Corrections Department will continue to undergo reevaluation and reorganization. But Dennehy has already improved inmate accountability and created a “culture of change,” he said.
Dennehy said she does not plan to stop her efforts to improve the DOC and will continue to educate employees and improve facilities, despite having already rehabilitated many of the department’s programs.
“I don’t think we’ve done the best job we can,” she said in a statement. “The department must do a better job educating its staff … and I am committed to facilitating a comprehensive and open review of the department’s culture, philosophy and management practices.”
Dennehy, 49, has been working for the DOC for 27 years and was named Deputy Commissioner in 1997 when Maloney was hired.
Steve Kenneway, president of the Massachusetts Correction Officers Federated Union, said the Corrections Department needed a change in management and that he trusts that Romney made a good selection.
“I would say pretty simply that we have every trust and confidence that a capable person will run the department,” he said. “The one who was in charge needed to be removed.”
Dennehy is already pulling her weight, Kenneway said, and he expects her to continue to address problems within the corrections department.
“She has had an impact of professionalism,” he said. “I think she will focus on the shortcomings that the Geoghan report has recognized and will address some issues such as staffing.”
Kenneway said Dennehy has already found 400 staffing vacancies that need to be filled on her own and that she is working to staff them.
Dennehy was unavailable for comment Tuesday.
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