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.
Criminal 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.
Legislation to repeal mandatory minimum sentences
Many constituents, like the one whose e-mail is in this post, encourage Senator Brownsberger to co-sponsor legislation repealing mandatory minimum sentences for drug offenses. The Senator has sponsored this legislation in the past and has signed on as a co-sponsor this session.
The New Jim Crow
As Senate Chair of the state legislature’s Judiciary Committee, it is my top personal priority to lighten the footprint of the criminal justice system on communities of color. Even in Massachusetts, where I believe that most police leaders take an enlightened approach to community policing — certainly, our own police chief and District Attorney Ryan do — the New Jim Crow is a real problem.