Monday, June 5 at 1:00pm, the Joint Committee on the Judiciary will hold a hearing at which several bills concerning criminal justice reform will be heard. Among them, An Act for justice reinvestment (S.791, H.2308), filed by Senator Sonia Chang-Diaz of Boston and Representative Mary Keefe of Worcester, offers comprehensive reform efforts as well as a commitment to reinvest in the communities most affected by incarceration.

Maps of both cities highlight the urgency in addressing comprehensive criminal justice reform this session. Unless the legislature acts, neighborhoods in cities like Boston and Worcester will continue to place a financial burden on their regions through high levels of incarceration. Additionally, these communities themselves are burdened by the ripple effects of incarceration and the barriers a criminal record and inadequate treatment for addiction or mental illness places on future generations and fellow community members.

Other bills to be heard include: An Act to reduce the criminalization of poverty (S.777), filed by Senator Brownsberger, An Act expanding juvenile court jurisdiction and district court diversion (S.816), filed by Senator Creem, and An Act relative to sealing of juvenile records and expungement of court records (S.944), filed by Senator Spilka.

The Joint Committee on the Judiciary is chaired by Senator Will Brownsberger and Representative Claire Cronin. Oral and written testimony will be accepted. A full list of bills to be heard on June 5 is available at malegislature.gov.