The state Office of the Child Advocate released a scathing 106-page report on Wednesday detailing enormous failures by the Department of Children and Families and others that ultimately led to […]
criminal justice
Posted inCriminal Justice
Scathing report details DCF failures leading to death of Fall River boy
THE DEPARTMENT OF CHILDREN AND FAMILIES failed autistic teenager David Almond time and time again, making inexplicable decisions and ignoring danger signs until the 14-year-old died, emaciated and bruised, allegedly at […]
Posted inCriminal Justice
State considering major expansion of child abuse reporting laws
FOR YEARS, Larry Nassar sexually abused female athletes under the guise of medical treatment while serving as the doctor for USA Gymnastics. Nassar was eventually convicted on multiple felony charges and sentenced to more […]
Posted inCriminal Justice
Study finds not prosecuting misdemeanors reduces defendants’ subsequent arrests
A STUDY EXAMINING the effect of declining to prosecute lower-level nonviolent offenses — a signature policy adopted by Suffolk District Attorney Rachael Rollins that has drawn both praise and scorn […]
Posted inCriminal Justice, Opinion
Pandemic has laid bare inequities in legal system
ON MARCH 18, 1963, in the landmark case of Gideon v. Wainwright, the United States Supreme Court established the right to counsel across the nation. Since that moment there has been an ongoing […]
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
Boston center’s gang database lists 3,853 people.
THE DIRECTOR of the Boston Regional Intelligence Center said on Tuesday that the center’s gang database is comprised of 3,853 people with active status. In a hearing held by the […]
Posted inOpinion
Streamlining the criminal complaint pipeline
IN RECENT YEARS, Massachusetts has made significant progress in the direction of criminal justice reform. The credit goes to progressive thinkers in the Legislature, the attorney general and several district […]
Posted inCriminal Justice
A reckoning for prosecutors in drug lab scandal?
THE JANUARY 2013 drug arrest of disgraced Massachusetts state chemist Sonja Farak and its impact on thousands of drug cases was widely reported as it unfolded, and memorialized to devastating […]
Posted inCriminal Justice
Audit faults data system used by DAs
IN AN AUDIT of the Cape and Islands district attorney’s office this week, state Auditor Suzanne Bump flagged the case management system used by all 11 Massachusetts district attorneys as outdated, citing in particular its information on juvenile defendants. If […]
Posted inThe Download
Mom charged with attempted murder for putting baby in trash can
Suffolk County District Attorney Rachael Rollins filed attempted murder charges on Monday against a 33-year-old woman accused of giving birth all alone in the bathroom of a house she was […]
Posted inCriminal Justice
Mom charged with attempted murder for putting baby in trash can
SUFFOLK COUNTY District Attorney Rachael Rollins filed attempted murder charges on Monday against a 33-year-old woman accused of giving birth all alone in the bathroom of a house she was […]
Posted inCriminal Justice
Former rep David Nangle pleads guilty to misusing campaign funds
FORMER STATE REPRESENTATIVE David Nangle pleaded guilty on Wednesday in federal court to using his campaign funds to pay for extensive personal expenses, then crafting schemes to cover up his spending. Nangle […]
Posted inCriminal Justice
Judge denies injunction to cut prison population
A SUPERIOR COURT judge denied a preliminary injunction that would have required the state Department of Correction to make specific efforts to further reduce its prison population in light of […]
Posted inCriminal Justice
State nudges along design process for new women’s prison — again
A STATE SELECTION BOARD on Wednesday moved forward proposals to construct a new prison for women despite pushback from former prisoners and advocates who said the estimated $50 million for […]
Posted inCriminal Justice
DOC accused of ‘deliberate indifference’ to prisoners
ATTORNEYS FOR for 11 prisoners accused the Massachusetts Department of Correction on Wednesday of deliberate indifference to a provision in the state budget requiring the release of inmates during the […]
Posted inThe Download
Medical parole not always compassionate
Ten months after the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court ordered the Department of Correction to provide daily reports to shed light on the COVID-19 situation inside its facilities, questions are surfacing […]
Posted inCriminal Justice
Medical parole not always compassionate
TEN MONTHS after the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court ordered the Department of Correction to provide daily reports to shed light on the COVID-19 situation inside its facilities, questions are surfacing […]
Posted inCriminal Justice
DOC proposing to tighten oversight of mail
THE STATE DEPARTMENT of Correction, citing concerns about drug deliveries, is proposing to tighten oversight of incoming prison mail, including correspondence from attorneys. During an online hearing on Friday, agency […]
Posted inCriminal Justice
DOC moving slowly on home confinement releases
THE LEGISLATURE a month ago gave the Department of Correction broader authority to release prisoners amid the pandemic, but so far the agency has taken little action. The legislation, passed […]
Posted inThe Download
DOC moving slowly on home confinement releases
The Legislature a month ago gave the Department of Correction broader authority to release prisoners amid the pandemic, but so far the agency has taken little action. The legislation, passed […]
Posted inCriminal Justice
Capitol insurrection unmasks the real terrorist next door
OUR FEDERAL LAW ENFORCEMENT and criminal justice agencies have been dropping the ball on domestic terrorism. They simply have not seen the terrorists for what they are. At play are […]
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
Domestic violence homicides decline during pandemic
THERE WAS A significant drop in domestic violence-related homicides in Massachusetts in 2020, according to a new state report, but some worry that there may be a dark underside to what would normally be regarded […]
