Limit on Mass. prison visits is unfair punishment

March 2, 2018 The Boston Globe Among the factors that most influence recidivism rates among prisoners is their ability to maintain strong family ties. A review of studies found that in-person visits result in a 26 percent reduction in recidivism. The impact is higher for men: They experience a 53 percent decline. Family visits are also correlated […]

Sheriff Hodgson strikes again

August 5, 2017 The Boston Globe Bristol County Sheriff Thomas M. Hodgson has hit on a new idea to mistreat the inmates he’s been elected to rehabilitate: deprive them of in-person family visits. If that seems too cruel to be true, take note that this is the same sheriff who infamously volunteered his prisoners as free labor […]

DOC’s drug-sniffing dogs wind up on SJC’s docket

August 1, 2017 The Boston Herald By Bob McGovern The use of drug-sniffing dogs on prison visitors in the Bay State is under attack, according to a lawsuit going before the state’s high court. The state Supreme Judicial Court announced it will determine whether the state Department of Correction overstepped its bounds by using Labradors and […]