Ray Champagne

It is with great sadness that we share that PLS Board Member Ray Champagne passed away yesterday. Ray spent 45 years in prison after a wrongful conviction. He was a PLS client and then became a client-board member before his exoneration in 2020 after which he continued to serve on the Board. Ray served on […]

New bill proposes civilian oversight for Massachusetts prisons

Senator James Eldridge calls for independent oversight to help reform the agency, currently facing two federal lawsuits alleging misconduct The Boston GlobeJanuary 11, 2022By Mark Arsenault Amid two federal lawsuits alleging excessive force by Massachusetts prison officials, a leading critic of the Department of Correction has filed a bill to establish independent civilian oversight of […]

Fifty-Three Organizations Call on Commission to Demand Accountability of DOC and Sheriffs for Their $1.3 Billion Budget

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE BOSTON – January 12, 2022 – Fifty-three organizations submitted joint testimony calling for transparency, accountability, and oversight of $1.3 billion in spending on prisons and jails today to the Special Commission on Department of Correction and Sheriffs’ Department Funding, stating, “[We] believe the Commission can only advance the public interest if its […]

Correction spending rises while incarcerated population declines in Massachusetts

WBURJanuary 4, 2022By Chris Lisinski The incarcerated population in Massachusetts has been dropping steadily for close to a decade at the same time that spending on corrections has been growing, divergent trends that prompted reform advocates to call Tuesday for more transparent reporting from state government. As a panel of lawmakers, sheriffs, administration officials and […]

COVID Developments in New England

Massachusetts prisoner advocates have doubled their legal efforts to release prisoners from state prisons due to a coronavirus pandemic.