The 25-person Working Group of the CSG Justice Center-Massachusetts Criminal Justice Review met for the first time on January 12, 2016 at the State House. The Working Group was formed by state leaders in October 2015 to partner with the Council of State Government’s (CSG) Justice Center to review and provide proposals on criminal justice reform and justice reinvestment in Massachusetts. Senator Brownsberger serves on the Steering Committee as a legislative co-chair.
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
Opioid Plan, Part II — Coercion and Recovery (continued)
The legislature’s emerging approach to the issue of how to handle patients admitted with overdoses is sound — it requires hospitals to offer more to people with addictions, without turning doctors into police.
Opiod Plan, Part II — Coercion and Recovery
Another big theme in the discussion about the opioid epidemic is treatment — making treatment for the disease of addiction more available in a host of ways. This piece offers background on the issue of coerced treatment and seeks feedback on the Governor’s proposal to allow physicians to hold people with addictions against their will for days or, in some cases, months for treatment.
Opioid Plan, Part I — Pain Medication and Addiction
Early next year, the legislature will likely continue efforts to address the rising dysfunction, disability and death from opioid drug abuse. Physicians face powerful conflicting goals and incentives in treating pain; pain is a real problem and addiction is a real problem. Based on what you are seeing and hearing yourself, are doctors getting the balance wrong and making pain medication too readily available?
Waltham woman at front of sex abuse battle
The Waltham News Tribune? reported on the legal victory of Waltham native Rosanne Sliney, who won her “fight against child sex abuse laws last week when the Massachusetts Supreme Court reaffirmed a 2014 law? extending the statute of limitations for lawsuits filed by victims of child sex abuse.” Rosanne shared her story at a press conference held at the office of her attorney Carmen Durso. Anne Johnson Landry, Senator Brownsberger’s Committee Counsel and Policy Advisor, attended and shared, “Rosanne’s story was really compelling and I think spoke to the need for reform in a way that showed that the three year statute of limitation just didn’t make any sense.” Senator Brownsberger was a one of the co-authors of the legislation.
No Fly List/No Guns
Blue Mass Group is reporting on a bill introduced by Rep. Lori Ehrlich, H. 4331, which would ban sales of guns in the Commonwealth to anyone on the federal No Fly list. I’m interested in Sen. Brownsberger’s position on this. According to the Blue Mass Group report, the bill has numerous co-sponsors, including Rep. David …