The Norwood Patch – Do You Support Mandatory Minimum Sentencing Laws?

Mandatory minimum sentence laws remain popular on Beacon Hill.

However, a new study says that such laws cost the state and taxpayers millions each year—and potentially billions in the future—without much return on investment, as Massachusetts’ recidivism rate remains high compared to other states.

Lowell Sun – UMass Lowell to host April 8 debates for U.S. Senate candidates

Democratic candidates for U.S. Senate, and possibly their Republican counterparts, will debate at the University of Massachusetts Lowell on Monday, April 8.

A recent WBUR poll, conducted by The Mass INC Polling Group, showed Markey leading Lynch by 11 percentage points.

Boston Globe – Crime lab scandal underscores ills of injustice
A REPORT commissioned by MassINC (“Crime down, prison costs up,” Page A1, March 25) argues that some Massachusetts inmates, particularly nonviolent drug offenders, should have received shorter sentences. Can we connect the dots with the long-running story about the state crime lab scandal?

South Coast Today – Commuter Rail could be at risk if Patrick’s tax plan not passed in full

State transportation advocates are worried that the SouthCoast commuter rail project could be dead in the water if the Legislature does not approve Gov. Deval Patrick’s proposed income tax increase.

Steve Koczela, president of the MassINC polling group, said polls conducted by his organization give him hope that voters support paying higher taxes for better transportation.

Eagle Tribune – Regional transportation forum open to public

MassINC and Transportation for Massachusetts will hold a public forum and panel discussion on regional transportation investments in Massachusetts Gateway Cities Tuesday, April 2 from 4 to 5:30 p.m. in the Hartleb Technology Center (Room 103AB) on the Haverhill campus of Northern Essex Community College, 100 Elliott St.

Lowell Sun – Senate hopefuls taking stage

Democratic and Republicans candidates for U.S. Senate are hoping to warm up to the cameras — and more importantly the electorate — when they face off in the first of their televised debates tonight.

A recent WBUR poll, conducted by The Mass INC Polling Group, shows Markey leading Lynch by 11 percentage points. But according to the poll, a high number of likely Democratic voters, 41 percent, remain undecided.

Boston Globe – Mass. Senate candidates debate Wednesday

Candidates for the state’s special Senate election are scheduled to meet Wednesday for the first televised debates of the campaign, back-to-back, half-hour sessions, between the ­Republicans and then the ­Democrats.

US Representative Edward J. Markey is leading the race for the Democratic Senate nomination while former US attorney Michael J. Sullivan is ahead in the battle for the GOP nomination, according to a new WBUR poll released Tuesday.

Sentinel and Enterprise – Candidates go head to head tonight

Democratic and Republican candidates for U.S. Senate are hoping to warm up to the cameras — and, more importantly, the electorate — when they face off in the first of their televised debates tonight.

A recent WBUR poll, conducted by The Mass INC Polling Group, shows Markey leading Lynch by 11 percentage points.

WBUR – GOP, Democratic U.S. Senate Hopefuls Face Off In Debate

The five candidates hoping to fill the seat of former U.S. Sen. John Kerry faced off in a live television debate Wednesday night. As the candidates from each party sought to win over voters — or just gain some name recognition – clear differences emerged.

A WBUR poll this week shows Markey with the highest level of support and name recognition among all the candidates. But it also reveals that a healthy chunk of both Republican and Democratic primary voters are still undecided.

Lowell Sun – Senate race can’t shake voters’ apathy

The good news for U.S. Senate front-runners — Democrat Ed Markey and Republican Michael Sullivan — is a double-digit lead over their rivals.

In a new WBUR poll of 610 likely voters conducted by The Mass INC Polling Group, Markey holds a 35-24 lead over Stephen Lynch, while Sullivan leads Dan Winslow, 28-10, and Gabriel Gomez, 28-8.

Springfield Republican – MassInc: Massachusetts mandatory sentencing sends prison costs skyrocketing without improving recividism

A new report on state criminal justice says Massachusetts needs to reconsider its two-decade old approach to mandatory sentencing and lengthy incarceration for many crimes or be prepared to spend an additional $2 billion over the next decade on its growing prison population.

The report, “Crime, Cost and Consequences: Is it Time to Get Smart on Crime?” argues that Massachusetts over the last two decades has been spending more each year on keeping people in prison for longer periods and getting less to show for it. 

Washington Post – Poll shows Markey ahead by 11 in Massachusetts

We’re about a month away from the April 30 primaries in the Massachusetts special Senate election, and Rep. Ed Markey continues to hold a significant-but-not-insurmountable lead over Rep. Stephen Lynch on the Democratic side.

A new WBUR poll from the MassINC Polling Group shows Markey leading Lynch 35 percent to 24 percent, with another 30 percent undecided.

Patriot Ledger – Republicans stake out turf before Wednesday’s Senate debate
As all three Republican candidates for U.S. Senate struggle to make basic connections with voters, Rep. Daniel Winslow and Cohasset businessman Gabriel Gomez’s campaign tussled on Tuesday in advance of two critical debates later in the week.

Fifty-seven percent of 610 likely voters surveyed by MassINC for a poll released Tuesday were unfamiliar with the Winslow, while Gomez, a Cohasset businessman and former Navy SEAL who has never held public office, was unknown by 46 percent of those surveyed. Sullivan, who led Winslow in the poll 28 percent to 10 percent, was the most recognized Republican contender but was still unknown by 35 percent.

Sentinel and Enterprise – Poll: Many undecided in both Dem and GOP U.S. Senate contests

Rep. Dan Winslow, who has graced the cover of Commonwealth Magazine and pursued such unconventional political maneuvers as constructing a Marshmallow Fluff pyramid to illustrate government waste, ranks last in a recent poll of name recognition among candidates for the U.S. Senate.

Fifty-seven percent of 610 likely voters surveyed by MassINC were unfamiliar with the Norfolk Republican.

Springfield Republican – U.S. Rep. Ed Markey and Michael Sullivan lead in primaries for Senate election, new poll finds
U.S. Rep. Edward J. Markey holds a sizable lead in the contest for the Democratic primary in the special Senate election, and former U.S. attorney Michael J. Sullivan is well ahead in the contest for the Republican election, according to a new WBUR poll.

Boston Globe – Markey, Sullivan lead in race for Senate, poll shows

US Representative Edward J. Markey is leading the race for the Democratic Senate nomination while former US attorney Michael J. Sullivan is ahead in the battle for the GOP nomination, according to a new WBUR poll released this morning.

National Journal – Poll: Markey Leads Lynch, But Many Are Undecided
Rep. Edward Markey, D-Mass., and Republican former U.S. Attorney Michael Sullivancurrently lead their respective party primaries in the upcoming Massachusetts Senate special election, but significant numbers of voters in both parties remain undecided, according to a new poll conducted for Boston-based NPR affiliate WBUR-FM and released early Tuesday.

WWLP – Crime down, but prison spending up

A new report finds that we are spending more on prisons than in years past, even though violent crimes in our state are generally down.

A report commissioned by the nonpartisan MassInc Research Group finds that the percentage of Massachusetts residents behind bars has tripled since the early 80s. It also found the state is spending an extra $150 million dollars a year keeping people behind bars.

WKZO – Markey retains lead in Massachusetts Senate race, many undecided: poll

Democratic Representative Ed Markey retained the lead among the five candidates seeking the Massachusetts Senate seat previously held by John Kerry, although a large number of likely voters remain undecided, according to a poll released on Tuesday.

Ahead of the April 30 primary, Markey held an 11 point lead over rival and fellow Congressman Stephen Lynch, who had gained some ground after trailing a wider margin in earlier polls, the WBUR/MassInc Polling Group found.

WBUR – Poll: Markey, Sullivan Hold Primary Leads, But Many Are Undecided

A new WBUR poll (PDFs – topline, crosstabs) of the special Massachusetts U.S. Senate election finds it wide open on both the Democratic and the Republican sides.

Markey and Lynch are the best-known candidates. Steve Koczela, of the MassINC Polling Group, finds either one would be the candidate to beat in the general election.

Boston.com – WBUR poll shows Edward J. Markey leading Democratic race and Michael J. Sullivan ahead in the Republican run for US Senate nomination

US Representative Edward J. Markey is leading the race for the Democratic Senate nomination while former US attorney Michael J. Sullivan is ahead in the battle for the GOP nomination, according to a new WBUR poll released this morning.

Patriot Ledger – Report skewers Mass. on crime; some South Shore experts praise findings

A new report sharply critical of the state’s record on criminal justice, incarceration rates and recidivism is getting high marks from a prosecutor, a legislator, a sheriff and a former judge – all of them on the South Shore.

In 2011, nearly half of the inmates released from the state’s prisons and jails had no supervision, and many inmates leaving state and county cells were convicted on new charges within six years of their release, according to the report issued by MassINC, a Boston think tank.

MetroWest Daily News – Report: State criminal sentencing laws are costly with little benefit

With correction costs spiraling upwards, Massachusetts should impose a moratorium on state and county prison expansion, revisit its “tough on crime” sentencing laws and expand programs aimed at preventing recidivism, according to a report released Monday by MassINC and a new coalition helmed by prominent former criminal defense, prosecutorial and public safety officials.

Boston Magazine – Massachusetts Has a Terribly Outdated Criminal Justice System

Ever since Michael Dukakis saw his presidential campaign torpedoed over the furlough of convicted murderer Willie Horton, Massachusetts politicians have erred on the side of being tough on crime, pushing for mandatory minimum sentencing and tough parole boards.

Yesterday, think tank MassINC released a powerful study title “Crime, Cost, and Consequences: Is it Time to Get Smart on Crime?” which explores the data and expenses behind criminal justice policy in Massachusetts.

Boston.com – Mass. spends more on prisons, as crime rates drop

A new report is critical of Massachusetts for putting more people behind bars and spending more on prisons, even though the state’s violent crime rate is down dramatically.

The 40-page report commissioned by the nonpartisan MassInc research group says the percentage of Massachusetts residents behind bars has tripled since the early 1980s, as the state has clung to tough-on-crime laws and mandatory minimum sentences that other states have abandoned as ineffective.

Boston Globe – New report slams Mass. on correction reform

Despite steeply declining violent crime rates, the percentage of Massachusetts residents behind bars has tripled since the early 1980s, as the Commonwealth has clung to tough-on-crime laws that many other states have abandoned as ineffective, according to a study being released this week.

“It’s an odd set of numbers: crime going down while prison populations are still going up,” said Greg Torres, president of MassINC, the nonpartisan research group that commissioned the study. “What the report shows is that it’s a problem with the corrections system’s front and back doors — sentencing and release.”

Boston Globe – Richard Davey hits road to pitch transportation plan

Richard A. Davey, the state’s transportation secretary, has done a lot of traveling in the last few weeks. He’ll tell you that himself, as he did at a Department of Transportation meeting earlier this month.

A poll released March 14 by MassINC , a nonpartisan research group, estimated that just more than 60 percent of voters would be willing to pay $50 per year to fund long-term fixes for roads and public transportation, based on polls and focus groups over the past six months.

Fall River Herald – At UMD panel, speakers detail need for better bus service in region
Loss of economic opportunity, lack of access to health care facilities and a burden on the work force are just some of the problems with the region’s bus service detailed by speakers at a panel discussion on Thursday during a forum on investing in public transportation for economic growth.

The event was sponsored by the Boston-based think tank MassINC and held at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth. MassINC also presented its findings on a study of improving regional transit authorities — including the Southeastern Regional Transit Authority — in Gateway Cities around the state.

South Coast Today – Bond bill brings hope for SRTA, commuter rail

SouthCoast politicians, community organizers and businessmen on Thursday stressed the potential regional impact of the transportation bond bill currently being considered by the state Legislature.

At a public forum and panel discussion on the importance of transportation investment, many spoke of their hope that the bill could increase funding to the Southeastern Regional Transit Authority.

The Daily Free Press – Patrick submits bill on transportation, has public support

In joint association with the Massachusetts Department of Transportation, Mass. Gov. Deval Patrick filed legislation Wednesday to fund infrastructure improvements over the next 10 years.

MassINC Polling Group released a study Thursday stating voters are open to the discussion of raising additional revenue for transportation improvements throughout the Commonwealth.