Five years after Massachusetts enacted sweeping reforms aimed at reducing incarceration and addressing racial disparities in the criminal justice system, a new study says the state has seen sharp decreases in both incarceration and crime rates.
Criminal justice reform
Posted inState Government
MGM casino in Springfield agrees to $6.8m wage theft settlement
MGM SPRINGFIELD, a resort casino in Springfield, agreed to a $6.8 million settlement for violating wage and hour laws that impacted over 2,000 of its employees. This settlement comes as a result of a multi-year investigation conducted by the attorney general’s office which found that MGM management had failed to pay their employees in a […]
Posted inCriminal Justice
Calling it a ‘no-brainer,’ Healey recommends 7 for pardons
GOV. MARUA HEALEY proposed seven people for pardons on Thursday and indicated she is just getting started. The move by Healey attracted attention because most governors put off acts of clemency until the end of their time in office. Healey’s office said her pardons are the first by a Massachusetts governor during a first year […]
Posted inCriminal Justice
Advocates say Baker trying to gut prison mental health law
THE MASSACHUSETTS prison system has long faced criticism for its inability to provide adequate mental health treatment to incarcerated people. A mental health bill that Gov. Charlie Baker signed into law this summer aimed to improve the situation by giving inmates in crisis the opportunity to transfer to a mental health treatment facility. However, advocates […]
Posted inCriminal Justice
Public safety secretary responds to criminal justice reform concerns
AFTER THE CHAIRMAN of the House Judiciary Committee questioned Gov. Charlie Baker’s commitment to implementing the criminal justice and police reform laws, Baker officials defended their efforts in a detailed letter. House Judiciary Committee chairman Michael Day, a Stoneham Democrat, had written to Public Safety and Security Secretary Terrence Reidy last month identifying “disturbing instances […]
Posted inCriminal Justice
Rollins slams lack of criminal justice data sharing
SUFFOLK COUNTY District Attorney Rachael Rollins slammed the Baker administration for failing to update the state’s criminal justice information system to allow information to be more easily shared between agencies. “I think it’s just excuses,” Rollins said when asked why the update – mandated by a 2018 law – has not yet been completed. She was testifying Monday before the […]
Posted inState House News Service, The Download
Berkshire DA under fire for dangerousness hearings
Two years ago, shortly after she was elected district attorney in Berkshire County, Andrea Harrington said she was going to sharply curtail the use of cash bail. “A cash bail system is basically un-American,” she said on WGBY-TV’s Connecting Point. “It’s discriminatory against people who are impoverished. Two people accused of the same crime with […]
Posted inCriminal Justice
Berkshire DA under fire for dangerousness hearings
TWO YEARS AGO, shortly after she was elected district attorney in Berkshire County, Andrea Harrington said she was going to sharply curtail the use of cash bail. “A cash bail system is basically un-American,” she said on WGBY-TV’s Connecting Point. “It’s discriminatory against people who are impoverished. Two people accused of the same crime with […]
Posted inOpinion
3 steps toward racially just policing
THE GUILTY VERDICT in the trial of Derek Chauvin does not put an end to the long and difficult struggle for racially just policing. Officers continue to kill people with alarming frequency – so far this year 330 people have died in police encounters. Every instance of police violence takes an immeasurable toll on individuals, families, and our society. […]
Posted inCriminal Justice
To reduce recidivism, address the root causes
DURING A BROADCAST town hall forum late last month, President Biden took issue with the way some jurisdictions release inmates. “You get 25 bucks and a bus ticket. You end up back under the bridge exactly where you were before,” he said. When justice-involved individuals re-offend, the easiest answer as to “why” is to lay […]