History
The Middle Atlantic States Correctional Association (MASCA) was established in 1938 as the Middle Atlantic States Parole Conference (MASCA). It was originally formed by a small group of Parole Administrators who met in the office of the Commissioner of Institutions and Agencies in Trenton, New Jersey. In those early days, fifteen to twenty officials from neighboring states met to discuss parole matters, especially those concerning the transfer of parolees from one state to another. The Interstate Compact had just been signed in 1937 and these administrators came together to plan how best to implement the provisions of the compact. The founding fathers of MASCA included St. Alban Kite and Albert Wagner of New Jersey, Harry C. Dupree of New York, and Dr. G.I. Giardini from Pennsylvania, among others.
Eventually, they agreed that it would be useful to have an Annual Conference so that parole administration supervisors and line officers would have a chance to meet one another, increase their knowledge of parole, and to discuss problems facing parole in those days. Holding an Annual Conference became an important function of MASCA. From the beginning, they decided to hold their conferences in Atlantic City, N.J., and from 1939 to 1952, every conference was held there. Unfortunately, records of these early years were lost and little is known as to the names of the officers or what transpired during our early conferences.