Tuesday’s State House hearing on mandatory minimums showed signs of the beginning of a robust dialogue at the state legislative level on comprehensive criminal justice reform. Massachusetts Supreme Court Chief Justice Ralph Gants, echoing remarks he gave at the CJRC’s annual event in March, opened the hearing in staunch opposition to mandatory minimum sentencing. The model disproportionately
Eliminating mandatory minimums
The view from the community
As the debate on repealing mandatory minimums unfolds, a key question is how do residents in communities most impacted by crime feel about a change in course? To gain this perspective, MassINC’s2014 poll included a sample of 10 communities representing half of all releases from state prisons. Residents in these high-release areas were more likely
Massachusetts incarceration rate is cause for concern
Recent focus on corrections reform has drawn attention to the state’s relatively low incarceration rate. In national data, Massachusetts’s incarceration rate appears slightly low because more offenders are held in county jails and fewer are held in state prison facilities. Adjusting for this policy is difficult. The federal government has not released state jail population
MEDIA ADVISORY
MASSINC’S TESTIMONY BEFORE THE JOINT COMMITTEE ON THE JUDICIARY REGARDING COMPREHENSIVE CRIMINAL JUSTICE REFORM
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Winthrop Roosevelt wroosevelt@massinc.org (617) 224-1625 Testimony Regarding Comprehensive Criminal Justice Reform In Massachusetts Provided to the Joint Committee on the Judiciary June 9, 2015 Benjamin Forman MassINC Thank you Chairman Brownsberger, Chairman Fernandes and members of the committee for an opportunity to share some ideas on comprehensive criminal justice reform at
Gateway Cities Innovation Institute applauds Boston 2024 Selection of New Bedford to Host Sailing
PRESS STATEMENT
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Winthrop Roosevelt wroosevelt@massinc.org (617) 224-1625 Statement: Gateway Cities Innovation Institute Applauds Boston 2024 selection of New Bedford to Host Sailing The Gateway Cities Innovation Institute applauds Boston 2024 for revising their initial bid for the Olympic Games to include New Bedford as the venue for the sailing competition. Locating the Olympic
Financing Education Reform
The Next Chapter
The Building on What Works Coalition released a white paper this week that looks at creative new ways to invest in the learning models of the future. As leaders on Beacon Hill solidify budget priorities for the next fiscal year, the paper explores near-term steps that could be taken in the FY 2016 budget to pave the
How would Governor Baker’s EITC proposal benefit Gateway Cities?
The Governor’s Budget includes a plan to double the state’s EITC from 15 to 30 percent of the federal. Gateway Cities would disproportionately benefit from this change. Together, the 26 Gateway Cities represent about one-third of the state’s taxpayers (35 percent) but well over half (57 percent) of all of those filing for the EITC.
What does the health economy mean for Gateway Cities?
First in a series of three blogs on the state’s changing regional economies Looking at the economic recovery of Gateway Cities through the lens of job growth, it appears that the state’s regional cities have regained lost ground. But growth in total employment obscures more fundamental change in the base of Gateway City economies. Gateway