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Criminal Justice Policy Coalition
CJPC Special News
Responding to issues raised by the testimony of the
Criminal Justice Policy Coalition and Northeastern Law Professors Patricia
Gearan and Wallace Holohan at the Governor's Council public hearing
for Parole Board nominee John Kivlan, the Boston Bar Association issued
the following press release on November 4, 1999...
BOSTON BAR ASSOCIATION TO
SCRUTINIZE PAROLE BOARD POLICIES
Saying that "the role of the Massachusetts Parole Board in
the criminal justice system is extraordinarily important to the
corrections system, the community and the families of those inmates who
are serving sentences in our prisons," Boston Bar Association President
Thomas E. Dwyer, Jr. today announced that he will convene a special
committee to examine the makeup, procedures and policies of the Parole
Board over the last ten years.
The special committee is expected to
consider these and other issues:
Are appointments to the
Parole Board in compliance with the spirit of MGL ch. 27, Section 4,
the statute calling for a diverse range of
professional experience in subject areas including social work,
sociology, psychiatry, psychology, law enforcement, law,
corrections, parole, and probation?
How have appointments to
the Parole Board affected the rates of parole in
Massachusetts?
What is the purpose of
parole and what is its social and economic impact on society?
What role does parole
play in the corrections system?
The special committee is expected to include members of
the BBA's Criminal Law Section and also its individual Rights and
Responsibilities Section.
Dwyer's announcement came in the wake of
allegations that recent policies and appointments drawn almost exclusively
from the world of law enforcement
are creating a lack of balance the
Massachusetts Legislature mandated when it passed MGL ch. 27, Section
4. Dwyer also indicated that press reports alleging an increasingly
draconian view of criminal justice will be reviewed as well.
A
report is expected by April 1, 2000.
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Criminal Justice Policy Coalition
99 Chauncy Street, Suite 310
Boston, MA 02111
phone: (617)482-3170, ex. 319
fax: (617)451-0009
[email protected]
www.cjpc.org
Copyright © 1999 Criminal Justice Policy Coalition
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