In 2018, we enacted reforms designed to reduce incarceration — to lift people instead of locking them up and also to cut the chains 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.
Author Archives: Will Brownsberger
Clean Energy Future Act Passed By Senate
After a long day of debate, the Senate passed the Barrett-Pacheco omnibus energy bill last night — significant legislation to continue movement in Massachusetts towards a cleaner energy future.
We the People
The Senate may soon vote on the “We the People Resolution.” This resolution is well-intentioned and resonates as positive for many people on first hearing, but it is overbroad and will have unintended consequences..
Solitary Confinement in the Criminal Justice Package
There will always be some prisoners who need to remain in segregation, but our legislation, if effectively implemented, should result in fewer admissions and shorter average stays in segregation. Prisoners leaving segregation should also be much better prepared to return to general population or to the street.
Charles Reservation Connections between Routes 30 and 16
For a pedestrian headed upstream and trying to stay close to the Charles, the going gets tough at Route 30. There have been some recent improvements and more are planned, but for now, it is a badly connected stretch of river.
Preventing gun suicides
The House and Senate have both now given initial approval to legislation to make it easier to take guns away from people who are a risk of harming themselves or others.