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| Join us for a panel discussion on the potential repercussions of the 3-Strike law for MA featuring key players in the debate, including Representative Liz Malia, Jamahrl Crawford, of Occupy the Hood, long-time activist and editor of The Blackstonian, Nancy Gertner, Harvard Law Professor and former US District Court Justice, and Ben Thompson, Executive Director of the Criminal Justice Policy Coalition, will moderate. READ MORE... |
Costly ‘Three Strikes Bill’ that will Cost Taxpayers Millions
| Harvard Law professor Charles Ogletree, the Reverend Eugene Rivers, former Massachusetts commissioner for the Department of Correction Kathleen Dennehy, Prisoners Legal Services’s executive director Leslie Walker and other community leaders will host a press conference to oppose a costly ‘Three Strikes’ bill that could cost the state’s taxpayers millions. Both the Massachusetts House of Representatives and Senate have passed versions of the bill that, if enacted, could severely tax the Commonwealth’s criminal justice system, which is already in a state of crisis. READ MORE... |
| The Massachusetts Legislature has finally agreed in principle on a massive jobs bill. Senate 2059 (S2080) and H3818 will create massive growth in our prison industrial complex. This growth will occur in:
1. The Massachusetts Dept of Corrections
2. The Judiciary via the Dept. of Community Corrections
3. The Massachusetts Parole Board.
4. Each county sheriff’s department
5. The Massachusetts Probation Dept.
6. The construction trades and providers of ancillary services required to run criminal justice agencies. READ MORE... |
| The Spring 2011 CJPC membership newsletter has been released! The focus of the season is the current state legislative session; throughout the newsletter, several recently introduced measures pertinent to justice system reform are explored. The present is a moment of critical importance for the justice system in Massachusetts. In context of the recent probation and parole uproars, the State House is poised for reform. Whether the changes enacted will be progressive or regressive is in part up to you. Use this newsletter as an educational tool - inform yourself about exigent issues in criminal justice and ponder how the bills outlined reflect your values. Then, most crucially, take action! Contact us at info@cjpc.org to ask about how you can get involved in the process of legislative change. Or, contact your State Representative or Senator to express your support - or your dissent - for particular bills. As spring edges in, so does the moment to rejuvenate our archaic justice policy. |
| As the 187th General Court of Massachusetts begins to convene, the focus of much criminal justice legislation for the 2011-12 legislative session surrounds proposals to reform the system of parole. Several bills have been introduced that would comprehensively impact the functioning of this system in the Commonwealth, from parameters that dictate the composition of the Parole Board to eligibility for parole hearings, to sentencing itself. The justice system legislation that has been introduced will be thoroughly reviewed in the forthcoming CJPC Spring 2011 newsletter, available on March 7th. However, while CJPC will offer synopses of the bills from the perspective of our organization, it will be important to consider potential reforms from the points of view of those whom any changes will most directly affect—those behind the wall. We recommend that you read the following pieces, authored by current prisoners held in Massachusetts state facilities, for edification. The first, an essay by John Feroli who is housed at Old Colony prison, contextualizes the current climate surrounding parole by drawing correlations between the case of Dominic Cinelli and that of Willie Horton during the 1980s. Next, read the letter to Governor Patrick from Gordon Haas, Chairman of the Norfolk Lifers Group at Norfolk State Prison, which urges the governor to select the new Parole Board members from as broad a spectrum as possible, incorporating individuals with diverse areas of expertise. Finally, digest a scholarly critique of the parole bill introduced by Senator Tarr (SD 1845: An Act Reforming the Parole System and Protecting Public Safety), co-authored by Haas and Norfolk Lifers Group Vice Chairman Dirk Greineder. As always, let us know what you think on Facebook, or by emailing info@cjpc.org. |