Criminal Justice Reform in Massachusetts

In 2018, Massachusetts enacted reforms designed to reduce incarceration — to lift people instead of locking them up and also to cut the chains of complex oversight that hold them down when they are trying to get back on their feet.  Our reforms were also designed to improve public safety. This post collects resources on criminal justice reform in Massachusetts.

Criminal Justice Reforms of 2018

• Main Reform Package
  • Statements on release and signing
  • Section-by-section analysis
  • Full text
  • Elements of reform with links to text
  • Explainers of Elements of Main Reform Package
    • Juvenile Justice
    • Diversion  (see also discussion of Veteran’s Diversion under the Valor Act and Brave Act)
    • Bail reform
    • Mandatory minimum sentences
    • Solitary confinement — restrictive housing
    • Extraordinary medical release
    • Oversight commissions created
    • Collateral consequences
• The CSG package — good time and completion credits
• Podcast discussion of the package (2019 retrospective)

Prior reforms and background

• Collateral consequences
  • An Act to Reduce the Criminalization of Poverty see also (record creation analysis)
  • License revocation as a sanction for drug offenses
  • Felony Larceny Threshold
• Context
  • The national reform movement 
  • Kicking off the final reform push in MA (2017)
• Drug policy
  • Marijuana Policy
    • Final negotiated legalization compromise
    • Historical thread
  • Drug Policy Research
• Glossary of Sentencing Terms
• Juvenile Justice
  • Goals of reform (2013)
  • Juvenile murder sentencing (2014)
  • Underage sex (2017 — dropped in final package)
• Sex Offender Recidivism
• Sentencing Legislation of 2012 — first vote, analysis, additional impact analysis, final results.
• Statistics
  • Criminal Justice Reform Statistics collection (2015)
  • Comparative statistics (2017)
  • CSG Justice Center Report on Massachusetts (2015-2017)
•  . . . more (browse all criminal justice posts) 

Prospective

• Urban violence
• Young adults — visit to the German justice system

Advocates and Researchers

• Brennan Center
• Citizens for Juvenile Justice
• Community Resources for Justice
• CSG Justice Center
• EPOCA
• Greater Boston Interfaith Organization
• Greater Boston Legal Services
• Jobs not Jails
• Massachusetts Bail Fund
• MassInc
• Massachusetts Sentencing Commission
• Prison Legal Services

Other organizations/resources that should be listed here?  Send email to william.brownsberger@masenate.gov .