Recent technology and procedural improvements are making it easier for people who have had criminal court cases in Massachusetts to put their past behind them.
Justice
animal welfare, civil law and procedure, criminal law, disability, drug policy, family law, freedom of speech, guardianship, gun violence, housing law, immigration, indigenous agenda, lgbtq rights, policing, privacy, sexual child abuse, terrorism, women's rights
Massachusetts Corrections in 2025
In last year’s budget, the legislature set up a “special commission to study and examine opportunities for collaboration and consolidation among the department of correction, the county sheriffs, the parole board and the office of community corrections.”
Immigrants and Emergency Assistance
The legislature is currently finalizing its latest legislation to shore up the commonwealth’s emergency shelter system.
Animal Welfare Accomplishments 2023-2024 Session
This session the legislature passed several bills strengthening protections for animals and pet owners.
Massachusetts Data Breach Policy
Current law affords residents protections and recourse, although data breaches remain an ongoing subject of work in the legislature.
Shelter Visit
I had occasion today to pay a visit to a shelter for over 40 immigrant families within my senate district in Boston. I could only scan the surface of life in the shelter, and this shelter may not be typical, but my impressions added to my confidence in the system.