STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE THE US ATTORNEY’S OFFICE is reviewing allegations that Gov. Charlie Baker’s son A.J. groped a woman on a plane last week, and state authorities are not […]
Criminal Justice
Posted inCriminal Justice
Patriots star power fuels DA debate
COME FOR THE chance to meet New England Patriots stars, stay for the conversation on important criminal justice issues. That was the game plan for a forum Tuesday night in […]
Posted inCriminal Justice
Finding Better Ways to Allocate Limited Public Safety Resources
Massachusetts’s criminal justice reform legislation is arguably the most wide-ranging and comprehensive in the country, at least as far as progress in a single legislative session goes. However, unlike most […]
Posted inCriminal Justice
Patriots players to tackle Suffolk DA race
THE CANDIDATES FOR Suffolk County district attorney may think twice before trying to slip past the moderators of an upcoming forum on the race. That’s because the questions will come […]
Posted inCriminal Justice
DA forum reveals ‘sunlight’ between candidates
THERE APPEARS TO be growing interest in the looming contest for Suffolk County district attorney, the first open race for the position in 16 years and an election coming amidst […]
Posted inDrug Addiction
Withholding methadone from inmates is wrong
I WILL NEVER forget the pained look on my patient Jorge’s face when I asked him why he stopped taking methadone to treat his opioid dependency. He was in my […]
Posted inPolitics
NFL owners yield to Trump, bottom line
In the end, the megamillionaire NFL owners decided to take a knee. Not a knee of protest or principle, as some of their employees pursued last season, but a knee […]
Posted inCriminal Justice
Devin McCourty tackles criminal justice reform
When New England Patriots co-captain Devin McCourty joined the protests first set off by Colin Kaepernick and “took a knee” during the National Anthem last season, he was making a […]
Posted inThe Download
The Codcast: Devin McCourty tackles criminal justice reform
When New England Patriots co-captain Devin McCourty joined the protests first set off by Colin Kaepernick and “took a knee” during the National Anthem last season, he was making a […]
Posted inCriminal Justice
For casino job hunters, good news and bad
SOME GOOD NEWS recently for the MGM casino in Springfield and for folks hoping to land jobs there: The casino now has more discretion to handle criminal background checks for […]
Posted inDrug Addiction
Involuntary commitment of drug users wrong approach
MASSACHUSETTS IS AIMING to tackle the opioid crisis head on. On Friday, the Joint House and Senate committee dealing with substance abuse is set to move forward on major legislation […]
Posted inCriminal Justice, Politics
DA races drawing candidates and attention
Back in December, when the American Civil Liberties Union of Massachusetts launched a voter education campaign targeting the state’s district attorneys, it seemed like a long shot. After all, races […]
Posted inCriminal Justice
Lawyer: Hefner looking forward to trial
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE THE MAN AT THE CENTER of a scandal that has rocked the Massachusetts Senate appeared in Suffolk Superior Court Tuesday and pleaded not guilty to indecent […]
Posted inCriminal Justice
Warren, Brownsberger go at it on criminal justice bill
The sweeping criminal justice bill that Gov. Charlie Baker signed earlier this month received widespread, but not universal, praise as a welcome turn away from the tough-on-crime policies of the […]
Posted inThe Download
The Codcast: Warren, Brownsberger go at it on criminal justice bill
The sweeping criminal justice bill that Gov. Charlie Baker signed earlier this month received widespread, but not universal, praise as a welcome turn away from the tough-on-crime policies of the […]
Posted inCriminal Justice
A welcome turn away from tough-on-crime era
LAST WEEK, Republican Gov. Charlie Baker signed comprehensive criminal justice reform into law, approving a bill that will reduce the state’s prison population and make it easier for incarcerated offenders […]
Posted inCriminal Justice
Criminal justice bill reaches finish line
GOV. CHARLIE BAKER signed sweeping criminal justice legislation on Friday, capping several years of discussion on Beacon Hill and casting Massachusetts squarely in the national wave of rethinking tough-on-crime laws […]
Posted inCriminal Justice
House budget proposes new re-entry spending
ONE WEEK AFTER the Legislature passed sweeping new criminal justice reform reforms aimed at turning the system away from incarceration and toward second chances and rehabilitation, the House is proposing […]
Posted inCriminal Justice
A first take from Suffolk DA hopefuls
THE FIRST candidate forum in the race for Suffolk County district attorney gave the five Democrats running a chance to lay out their vision for the office and, in one […]
Posted inPolitics
Amherst church is now his home
ON THE VERGE of being deported last summer, Lucio Perez took sanctuary in the First Congregational Church in Amherst. He hasn’t left since. Perez is one of three people in […]
Posted inPolitics
State follows voters’ lead on criminal justice
The Senate and House sent a sweeping criminal justice reform bill to Governor Charlie Baker’s desk this week. The Governor has not said how he will proceed. Details matter, and […]
Posted inCriminal Justice
Major justice reform bill clears Legislature
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE WITH ONLY A WHIFF of opposition, the Massachusetts Legislature on Wednesday passed a broad package of criminal justice system reforms that have languished for years, signaling a […]
Posted inCriminal Justice
With criminal justice bill passed, what about services for ex-inmates?
LAWMAKERS PASSED A long-awaited, comprehensive criminal justice reform bill on Wednesday. But to fully realize its widely touted goal of reducing recidivism they will need to back some of the […]
Posted inCriminal Justice
Could Boncore become sleeper in crowded DA race?
THE OPEN RACE for Suffolk County district attorney is attracting a crowd, with five Democrats already in the hunt and several others still mulling a run for the post, which […]
