It’s fair to say that the Legislature is under pressure to respond to the demands for a tougher habitual offender law. That was evident at the Joint Judiciary Committee’s March 16 public hearing, where a standing-room-only crowd packed the … [Read more...]
A brighter future: New parole eligibility law takes effect
The "before" picture County prisons, known in Massachusetts as "houses of correction," house inmates who have been sentenced for less serious offenses, usually for sentences up to 2 ½ years. (Prisoners serving longer sentences are … [Read more...]
Hooked on prison: the case for drug sentencing reform
In December the non-partisan Crime and Justice Institute noted that over the past 10 years, the budgets for the state's prisons and jails have grown at a faster rate than the budgets for most other state services. Indeed, the budgets … [Read more...]
Time for Criminal Sentencing Reform
The Boston Globe was kind enough to publish an op ed piece by me this morning, Fixing our criminal sentencing system. I hope that we can keep discussion focused on sentencing reform at the State House this term. Everything BMG folks could … [Read more...]