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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
Posted inCriminal Justice
State slow to improve criminal justice data collection
A WELL-KNOWN management maxim warns, if you can’t measure it, you can’t improve it. By that reckoning, those trying to better the state’s criminal justice system are often flying blind. How long, for example, does the average probationer in […]
Posted inCriminal Justice
Revised medical parole rules draw fire
A SECOND ATTEMPT by the Department of Correction to develop medical parole regulations is running into blowback from lawmakers and advocates who say the Baker administration is continuing to block […]
Posted inCriminal Justice
Bail fund now facing heat
CAN THE EFFORT to right the wrongs of the criminal justice system go too far? That’s the argument coming from liberal-leaning prosecutors after the arrest on new charges of a convicted […]
Posted inThe Download
Bail fund now facing heat
Can the effort to right the wrongs of the criminal justice system go too far? That’s the argument coming from liberal-leaning prosecutors after the arrest on new charges of a […]
Posted inCriminal Justice
Tsarnaev death sentence vacated
A US APPEALS COURT on Friday vacated the death sentence of Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, the latest chapter in a years-long legal saga resulting from a horrific crime that […]
Posted inCriminal Justice
Here’s the police reform bill the ACLU wants
ACROSS THE COUNTRY, people have been taking to the streets to protest against police brutality and systemic racism. In some states, their calls for change have been met by even […]
Posted inOpinion
To address juvenile injustice, data needed
IN THE WAKE of the nationwide uprisings asserting that Black Lives Matter, there have been many eloquent pronouncements denouncing racism and pledging to do more to address its impact. The […]
Posted inCriminal Justice
The new civil rights movement
MONICA CANNON-GRANT ORGANIZED the largest Boston demonstration to date against police brutality toward blacks, a march that drew tens of thousands of people to Franklin Park earlier this month. Nearly a […]
Posted inThe Download
The new civil rights movement
Monica Cannon-Grant organized the largest Boston demonstration to date against police brutality toward blacks, a march that drew tens of thousands of people to Franklin Park earlier this month. Nearly […]
Posted inCriminal Justice
Barr visit with Gross stirs outcry
WHEN YOU WANT A controversial photo op, look no further than US Attorney General William Barr. He will deliver. Three weeks after the AG’s involvement in President Trump’s much-criticized walk to […]
Posted inCriminal Justice
Feeling the moment after Floyd killing
WHERE DO WE GO with the outrage and window for a reckoning on matters of race in the country that’s been opened by the police killing of George Floyd? Two themes […]
Posted inThe Download
Feeling the moment after Floyd killing
Where do we go with the outrage and window for a reckoning on matters of race in the country that’s been opened by the police killing of George Floyd? Two […]
Posted inCriminal Justice
Local police departments adopting 8 Can’t Wait
AROUND THE COUNTRY, and now in Massachusetts, police departments are adopting a set of policies that could potentially decrease violence inflicted by law enforcement. The “8 Can’t Wait” project seeks to […]
Posted inThe Download
Local police departments adopting 8 Can’t Wait
Around the country, and now in Massachusetts, police departments are adopting a set of policies that could potentially decrease violence inflicted by law enforcement. The “8 Can’t Wait” project seeks […]