Governor Baker is refusing to sign a law that would provide free calls in prisons and jails, holding it hostage to try to force passage of a “dangerousness” bill that would expand pre-trial incarceration. This is unconscionable. Removing charges from prison phone calls will help keep prisons safer, give children and loved ones of those […]
Prisoners’ Legal Services of Massachusetts Statement on the 2021-2022 Legislative Session Budget
On Monday, July 18th, the Massachusetts legislature voted on the state’s budget, which was passed by both the House and Senate. The budget currently sits before Governor Baker for his final approval. There are multiple items in this year’s budget that will improve the lives of incarcerated people and their families in Massachusetts. PLS is […]
Advocates call for end to men being sent to correctional facilities for substance abuse treatment
GBHBy Esteban BustillosApril 20, 2022 Advocates are calling for the end of a Massachusetts policy that allows men to be put in correctional facilities when they are involuntarily commited for treatment of substance use disorder. The practice, which is allowed under a statute known as Section 35, ended in 2016 for women but is still […]
Mass. legislators debate whether to fund addiction programs that lock people up
WBURBy Deborah BeckerApril 21, 2022 Massachusetts lawmakers are debating whether to continue supporting programs that put people inside jails and prisons for addiction treatment. Both Gov. Charlie Baker and the House leadership have proposed setting aside roughly $23 million in the budget for such addiction programs. But State Rep. Ruth Balser has filed budget amendments […]
Letter to the Massachusetts Senate Ways and Means Committee advocating for corrections & Sheriffs’ Departments budget accountability and transparency
This letter was submitted to the Massachusetts House and Senate Ways and Means Committees on January 31, 2022 to advocate building greater transparency and accountability into the Department of Correction (DOC) and Sheriffs’ Departments’ budgets. Substantial funding is allocated to incarceration each year despite a declining number of people in custody. With budget season kicking […]
STATEMENT BY PRISONERS’ LEGAL SERVICES IN SUPPORT OF MEDICAL PAROLE
February 10, 2022 In light of the news conference today about “ending the medical parole loophole for murderers,” Prisoners’ Legal Services of Massachusetts would like to address misperceptions surrounding the medical parole process and highlight the importance of ensuring access to it. In 2018, the Massachusetts Legislature enacted the medical parole statute as part of […]
Hearing shows setting matters for addiction, mental health care
State House News/MassLiveNovember 9, 2021By Katie Lannan BOSTON (SHNS) – Two sets of elected officials on Monday offered different visions on the role of correctional facilities in addiction treatment, an issue that has become part of the public debate over how to respond to the substance use and homelessness crises at Boston’s Massachusetts Avenue and […]
Thursday hearing will tackle Massachusetts bill that would provide free phone calls from prisons and jails
Thursday hearing will tackle Massachusetts bill that would provide free phone calls from prisons and jails The Berkshire EagleOctober 21, 2021By Danny Jin Working for $5 per week while behind bars, Jasmin Borges could afford just one 20-minute phone call with her daughters each week. “When I came home 12 years later, nothing could prepare […]
DAY-LONG HEARING ON CORRECTIONS SEES PLEAS FOR FREE CALLS AND AN END TO LIFE W/OUT PAROLE
DAY-LONG HEARING ON CORRECTIONS SEES PLEAS FOR FREE CALLS AND AN END TO LIFE W/OUT PAROLE DIG BostonOctober 7, 2021By Jean Trounstine On Tuesday, Oct. 5, a legislative hearing held by the Joint Committee on the Judiciary highlighted the work activists across Massachusetts are doing to end racism and injustice in the criminal legal system. One-hundred sixty […]
Lessons from ‘The taking of Cell 15’: Reform corrections
Lessons from ‘The taking of Cell 15’: Reform corrections August 22, 2021The Boston GlobeBy The Editorial Board The story of “The taking of Cell 15″ at Souza-Baranowski, the state’s maximum security prison, isn’t just about its two occupants on that January day, it’s about a prison system that prefers gag orders to transparency, where those […]