Posted inCriminal Justice

SJC to referee another medical parole dispute 

SINCE THE LEGISLATURE established medical parole in 2018, prisoners’ rights advocates and Department of Correction officials have been in a near-constant fight about how the law is being implemented.  Advocates say the Baker administration has repeatedly applied the law too narrowly, making too few people eligible for release on medical grounds. The Supreme Judicial Court, […]

Posted inCriminal Justice

Department of Correction finally hires ombudsman 

AFTER A DELAY of several months, the Department of Correction has entered into a contract with the University of Massachusetts Medical School to create an ombudsman’s office within the department. But critics – including prisoners’ rights advocates and some lawmakers – are raising concerns about the appointment process and worry that the ombudsman’s office will […]