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.
Criminal Law
Juvenile Justice Reform in the Criminal Justice Package
An Act relative to criminal justice reform includes a number of changes to the way our criminal justice system treats young adults and juveniles.
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.
The CSG package — good time and completion credits
The CSG good time rate and completion credit increases will directly reduce the incarcerated population by 5% or more, while giving inmates stronger incentives to participate in rehabilitative programming.
Criminal Justice Reform at a Glance
This post summarizes and collects resources on the criminal justice package enacted in April 2018.
Diversion in the Criminal Justice Reform Package
Preventing people from entering the criminal justice system is the best way to minimize the costs and harms of prosecution. Our criminal justice reform package expands possibilities for diversion from prosecution, while at the same time assuring that serious cases are not inappropriately diverted