DONNA PATALANO, who is challenging incumbent Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan, looks like exactly the right candidate at the right time. The Winchester attorney is pushing a strong reform platform focused on addressing racial disparities in the criminal justice system and the need to rethink policies of the tough-on-crime era of the 1980s and 90s.
In Suffolk DA’s race, calls to coalesce
Groups urge blacks, progressives not to split their vote
WHAT HAD BEEN a strong undercurrent in the Suffolk County district attorney’s race is now becoming an open topic of conversation – and consternation: The fact that candidates with similar profiles in the five-way Democratic primary could split the vote and hand the election to a candidate who wins far less than majority support. That’s
Putting our money where our mouth is
The MassCJRC Journal
With the passage of the FY 2019 state budget last week, leaders in the House and Senate once again signaled their commitment to comprehensive criminal justice reform. The sweeping package passed by the Legislature in April with overwhelming bipartisan support will only payoff if we invest in it. In the first state budget post-reform, lawmakers
Finding Better Ways to Allocate Limited Public Safety Resources
The MassCJRC Journal
Massachusetts’s criminal justice reform legislation is arguably the most wide-ranging and comprehensive in the country, at least as far as progress in a single legislative session goes. However, unlike most states that have pursued comprehensive reform, our legislation was largely crafted without independent technical assistance from the Justice Reinvestment Initiative (JRI). One of the key
Correctional spending and the elusive criminal justice reform dividend in Massachusetts
Ben Forman sits down with BNN
Ben Forman of MassINC talks about our latest report on “correctional spending and the elusive criminal justice reform dividend in Massachusetts: while incarceration is down, there’s little sign of money being freed up for new efforts to decrease recidivism.” – Chris Lovett, BNN News Director
Devin McCourty tackles criminal justice reform
New England Patriots co-captain sits down with CommonWealth magazine to discuss his platform for change
When New England Patriots co-captain Devin McCourty joined the protests first set off by Colin Kaepernick and “took a knee” during the National Anthem last season, he was making a statement about racial justice issues in the country and the treatment of blacks by law enforcement officials. President Trump quickly “hijacked” the issue, McCourty says
Delivering on the Promise of Criminal Justice Reform
Highlights from the Fifth Annual Massachusetts Criminal Justice Reform Coalition Policy Summit
In true MassINC fashion, the Massachusetts Criminal Justice Reform Coalition’s Fifth Annual Policy Summit was one part celebration—recognizing the accomplishments of so many to advance comprehensive reform legislation—and nine parts substantive dialogue, as we regroup for implementation. For those who were unable to attend, the panel conversation featured the Honorable Paula Carey, Representative Byron Rushing,
Revisiting Correctional Expenditure Trends in Massachusetts
MassINC is proud to present another installment in our “Justice Reinvestment At-A-Glance” research brief series. Revisiting Correctional Expenditure Trends in Massachusetts updates our 2017 report, Getting Tough on Spending. Our new analysis incorporates final expenditures through FY 2017, and projects outward using the House and Senate Ways and Means FY 2019 budget proposals. We hope
New MassINC study finds the number of inmates in state and county correctional facilities keeps falling, but correctional budgets are still going up in Massachusetts
New research from the nonpartisan think MassINC shows correctional budgets are still rising even as the number of individuals in state and county correctional facilities falls precipitously. These revealing new figures come as leaders on Beacon Hill look for ways to help agencies cover the costs they will incur in order to comply with legislation
Criminal justice bill reaches finish line
Baker signs comprehensive legislation, while signaling concern with parts of it
GOV. CHARLIE BAKER signed sweeping criminal justice legislation on Friday, capping several years of discussion on Beacon Hill and casting Massachusetts squarely in the national wave of rethinking tough-on-crime laws of the 1980s and 90s. Flanked at the State House by more than a dozen lawmakers from both parties, Baker said, “Viewed as a whole,