Some say Sheriff Nick Cocchi’s approach to addiction treatment is among the best in Massachusetts — but some say jail is the wrong place for recovery

MassLive July 13th, 2019 By Shira Schoenberg  James Felchner has spent time in jail — and he says the facility where he’s getting addiction treatment doesn’t feel much different. “You go outside, you got barbed wire. You’re in numbered cells,” Felchner said. “We get a few extra privileges compared to a jail, but we’re still in […]

Group Of Civilly Committed Men Sues Mass. Alleging Gender Discrimination In ‘Section 35’ Law

WBUR March 14th, 2019 By Deborah Becker A group of men is suing the state of Massachusetts over the law, known as “Section 35,” that allowed a judge to involuntarily commit each of them to addiction treatment. The lawsuit filed by 10 men civilly committed to the Massachusetts Alcohol and Substance Abuse Center (MASAC), a minimum security prison in Plymouth, alleges […]

Lawsuit challenges the high cost of calling from jail

The Boston Globe May 4, 2018 By Maria Cramer For the 95-year-old mother of one inmate, the high costs of taking phone calls from the Bristol County House of Correction forced her to choose between paying medical bills and talking to her son. Pearson is among four plaintiffs, two of them inmates, who have sued […]

Massachusetts Sees Highest Number Of Inmate Suicides Since 2014

WGBH and New England Center for Investigative Reporting March 19, 2018 By Chris Burrell and Jenifer McKim Fourteen inmates died by suicide in Massachusetts prisons and jails in 2017, the highest such number of deaths since 2014, according to state and county data. Those who died include four who hanged themselves in state prisons and 10 […]