Last Friday, over 200 leaders gathered for the Third Annual Massachusetts Criminal Justice Reform Coalition Policy Summit. Kevin Burke, a coalition co-chair and former Secretary of Public Safety, kicked off the summit by noting that this year’s convening held special significance. Massachusetts is entering a crucial phase of reform with the Council of State Governments conducting a
Reducing Youth Recidivism Isn’t Rocket Science, It’s Brain Science
This past Tuesday MassINC convened leading criminal justice experts and policy makers at the State House for a conversation on our new report examining strategies to reduce recidivism by responding to the developmental needs of justice-involved young adults. The new MassINC research finds residents ages 18 to 24 are the most likely demographic to find
Ben Forman Op-Ed: With prison reform, Mass. must take steps to reduce recidivism rates
The MassCJRC Journal
IN THE STATES The Young Lawyers Division of the New Jersey State bar Association is helping resolve outstanding legal issues for former prisoners. A veto override gives even more former felons in Maryland the right to vote. (Baltimore Sun) A bill is approved by the Wyoming Senate Judiciary Committee which, if passed, would grant
Reducing recidivism
Criminal justice reform leaders from Massachusetts gather to examine strategies
Last week, MassINC gathered at The Boston Foundation with criminal justice reform leaders from Massachusetts and beyond to examine strategies to reduce recidivism. The public forum coincided with the release of new MassINC research estimating that repeat offenders make up more than two-thirds of defendants committed to state and county prisons in Massachusetts each year.
Massachusetts digs in on justice-reinvestment
The MassCJRC Journal
Massachusetts state leaders have launched a data-driven “justice reinvestment” approach to develop a policy package for the 2017 legislative session that curbs corrections spending and shifts resources into strategies to reduce recidivism and increase public safety. Twenty-four other states have carried out this data-driven approach, with intensive technical assistance from The Council of State Governments
Perspectives on Leadership for CJ Reform from CT Gov. Dannel Malloy
Connecticut Governor Dannel Malloy headlined a Kennedy School forum this week to press his case for serving young adults differently in the US criminal justice system. Focusing strategically on justice-involved young adults to reduce recidivism was the topic of a recent MassINC policy brief, as well as a report issued last fall by the Kennedy School’s Program
BNN News Interviews MassINC Research Director, Ben Forman
On Wednesday, January 6th MassINC Research Director, Ben Forman sat down with Christopher Lovett on Network Neighborhood News to discuss new approaches to reducing young adult recidivism in Massachusetts, the topic of his latest report: Viewing Justice Reinvestment Through a Developmental Lens. The research shows residents ages 18 to 24 are the most likely demographic to
MassINC Year in Review
Happy Holidays and Happy New Year! 2015 has been an incredible year for the MassINC family which includes our Policy Center, CommonWealth magazine and the MassINC Polling Group. Please take a moment to look through the highlights of substantive research, civic events, and journalism from 2015 and consider making a year-end donation that will help
Improving the way we serve justice-involved young adults
The MassCJRC Journal
Over these last few years, we’ve often heard about the difficulty corrections leaders have serving young adults. Motivating inmates in their teens and early 20s to participate in programming that will help them succeed is difficult, in part because severing ties with family and other realities of life behind bars hit youth particularly hard. Our
New study finds criminal justice system needs a different approach with young adults
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Changing Massachusetts’s approach to young offenders should be a central focus for the state’s efforts to reduce recidivism and increase public safety, a new MassINC research report suggests. Young adults ages 18 to 24 are the most likely to find their way into Massachusetts prisons and the quickest to return to them upon release. Research ties