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Good News: Our Calls to the Public Safety Committee Paid Off
Because of the efforts of the CJPC and its members, the Public Safety
Committee Chairs, Barrios and Toomey, are recommending that the
Committee Members vote H2853 favorably out of committee. Of course, the
members can still choose not to follow the Chairs' recommendations, so
we need to keep up the pressure in the next few weeks. For updates on
the status of this bill please check the CJPC website.
As many of you know, board members and volunteers spent a snowy
afternoon calling members to encourage them to call the State House.
Reportedly aides from both Toomey and Barrios' offices have said that a
flow of calls and letters have been streaming in. On an even nicer note,
board members and volunteers reported a warm welcome from CJPC members
and a lot of encouragement to continue our efforts.
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In Prison for No Crime |
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A growing number of women are finding themselves in custody at MCI
Framingham without having been charged with, or convicted of, any
crime. They are addicts and alcoholics who have been involuntarily
committed for detox and treatment following a civil court
determination that they pose a danger to themselves or others
because of their addiction and/or alcoholism. The problem is complex
and goes beyond current economic concerns, highlighting societal
assumptions and prejudices about substance abuse.
Read on...
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Restitution for the Wrongfully Convicted: Is this the way? |
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In mid-October of this year, the House passed a bill to provide
compensation for wrongfully convicted persons. Currently such
persons must find a legislator willing to introduce a bill for such
relief and persuade a majority of the legislature and the governor
to vote in favor of such compensation. Only once (for Bobby Joe
Leaster) has this actually happened. Meanwhile numerous citizens
have been released from the commonwealth's prisons after false
imprisonment on charges ranging from arson to rape to robbery to
murder.
Read on ....
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Legislative Clearinghouse Workshop on Criminal Justice Policy |
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CJPC will again be cosponsoring the Legislative Clearinghouse that
is organized annually by the Massachusetts Chapter of the National
Association of Social Workers (NASW) and the Massachusetts Human
Services Coalition. (Both are members of CJPC!) This year's keynote
speaker will be Senator Jarrett T. Barrios who holds the key
legislative position of Senate Chair of the Public Safety Committee.
The 9 am to 1:30 pm program will take place at the State House on
Friday, February 27, 2004. Cost of attendance is $25, regular fee,
and $5 for students and retired and unemployed persons.
This will be the fourth year that the Clearinghouse has had a
workshop on Criminal Justice, which runs from 11:30 to 1:30. Last
year's workshop panel, organized through CJPC, included Senator
Thomas McGee, Senate Chair of the legislature's Joint Committee on
Criminal Justice, Ginny Burns of the Working Group on Women in
Prisons, Peter Costanza of Mass. Correctional Legal Services, and
Michael Cutler from the Center for Public Representation. For more
information, contact NASW at 617 227-9635 and see www.naswma.org.
Direct your suggestions for and inquiries about the Criminal Justice
workshop to CJPC Board member, Dorothy Weitzman at [email protected]
or (6l7) 552-4029, ext. l.
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Bridgewater Conference: The State of the State's Prison |
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The Criminal Justice Program at Bridgewater State College will host
a conference March 25-26th on "The State of the State's Prisons."
The conference, now in its planning stages, is timed to coincide
with the completion of the study of the Governor's Commission on
Prisons chaired by Scott Harshbarger.
For further information or suggestions for speakers or workshop
topics, please contact Jim Hannon, Department of Sociology and
Criminal Justice at Bridgewater State College, 508 -531-2930 or
[email protected]
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