The purpose of the Corrections Committee is to cooperate with Intergroup Institution Committees and the General Service Office in New York, when requested, to coordinate the work of individual A.A. members and groups who are interested in carrying our message of recovery to alcoholics behind the walls; and to set up means of “Bridging the Gap” from the facility to the larger A.A. community.

Basic functions of the committee are:

• Be available to take regular A.A. meetings into facilities, when asked by the local committees, and allowed to do so by the corrections facilities
• Encourage “outside” A.A. group participation in this kind of Twelfth Step work
• Provide a liaison between correctional facilities’ meetings and A.A. groups on the outside
• Coordinate temporary contacts with individuals and A.A. groups to ensure that inmates will be guided to a meeting at the time of their release
• Arrange purchase and distribution of literature for these A.A. groups and meetings
• Meet with administrators of prisons and other institutions to share information about Alcoholics Anonymous

Duties and Responsibilities of the Corrections Chairperson – appointed by the Area Chairperson for a term of two years, beginning in January of the even-numbered years

• Attends the Area Assembly and Area Committee meetings
• Chairs Corrections Committee meetings, coordinating information received from Intergroup and district corrections representatives and local correctional facilities representatives for reporting back to the Area Assembly
• Acts as a conduit for communication between the General Service Office and Intergroup/district Corrections/Institutions committees; assisting these committees wherever and whenever possible
• Acts as a source of information for outside sponsors who hold meetings “inside the walls”
• Prepares the annual Corrections Committee budget request to be submitted to the Finance Committee in the fall of each year and is prepared with supporting documentation to answer any questions which may be asked during the budget approval process
• May attend service functions or events as listed on page 54 of this Handbook and request reimbursement as provided in the Area 29 Budget for this committee and approved by the Area Assembly each year
• Attends one or more Conference Agenda Review Committee (“CARC”) meetings, the Area Mini Conference and is responsible to review the Corrections Kit and Workbook to make any recommendations for changes to the Area and/or the General Service Conference Coordinator
• Is encouraged to write and submit service-related articles for the quarterly Maryland General Service Newsletter, the MARGENSER
• As requested, attends group, Intergroup, District or other Area A.A. events to share information and knowledge of the A.A. fellowship
• Forms a working committee of A.A. members to assist in carrying out the performance of these responsibilities

Reprinted from Area 29 Area Assembly Handbook, December 2019, P. 36.

For further information contact the Correction Chair