From the early 1960s through about 1990, crime rose dramatically in Massachusetts. Most categories of crime have fallen since the early 1990s, but remain above their level in 1965. However, the state prison population has remained elevated, as the chart in this post (indexed to 1965 levels) demonstrates.
Criminal Law
Rethinking tough-on-crime
CommonWealth Magazine’s summer 2015 cover story on criminal justice policy reform by executive editor Michael Jonas, focuses in on the debate over repealing mandatory minimum sentences, which is one aspect of Senator Brownsberger’s legislative priority to reduce the footprint of the criminal justice system and to help make it easier for people to get back on their feet. As reported in the piece, “Sen. Will Brownsberger, who co-chairs the Legislature’s Joint Committee on the Judiciary, thinks the state should pull back the entire “footprint” of the criminal justice system, not only the length of many prison sentences but also various sanctions and fees that hit people once they’re out of prison. Rather than help ease offenders back toward productive pursuits, Brownsberger says, these often seem more like tripwires setting ex-prisoners up to fail.”
Drivers Licenses and Drug Crimes
In 1989, when the crack epidemic was on the front page every day, the Massachusetts legislature was among the first in the nation to pass a law requiring that the registrar of motor vehicles suspend the driver’s license of anyone convicted of any drug crime. It’s about time we revisited that law.
Senator Brownsberger to speak on panel on mass incarceration hosted by the New Start Project
Senator Brownsberger will be among the panelists when The New Start Project hosts a dialogue, “Is There a Mass Incarceration Problem in Massachusetts?” on Monday, May 4, 2015, from 6-8 pm at the Ladd Multipurpose Room at Wheelock College at 43 Hawes Street in Brookline.
Second Annual Massachusetts Criminal Justice Reform Coalition Summit: Senator Brownsberger a Panelist
Senator Brownsberger will serve as a panelist at the Second Annual Massachusetts Criminal Justice Reform Coalition Summit on Monday, March 16th, 2015 at the UMass Boston Campus Center. Registration for the event begins at 8:30 am, and the formal program begins at 9:30 am. Here is a link to the full program and RSVP information.
Senator Brownsberger to Speak on Criminal Justice Reform
On Tuesday, March 9, Senator Brownsberger will be speaking at a luncheon organized by the Boston Lawyer Chapter of the American Constitution Society on the subject, “Ferguson to the New Jim Crow – Driving Change in the Criminal Justice System, from Street Policing to Incarceration.” The event is open to the public and all are welcome.