July 15, 2021The Boston Globe (opinon)By Elizabeth Matos and Ray Champagne Last year, the US Department of Justice excoriated the Massachusetts Department of Correction for its clearly unconstitutional approach to mental health care. Many incarcerated people, their families, and their advocates welcome the news that the Massachusetts Department of Correction plans to end solitary confinement […]
Massachusetts Department of Correction Gives a Lesson in How to Get Around Solitary Confinement Reforms
November 20, 2019
Solitary Watch
By Katie Rose Quandt
Cyr bill makes initial step to protect LGBTQ prisoners, in committee testimony
October 16, 2019
WickedLocal Provincetown
Colin A. Young / State House News Service
The inmate population in Mass. keeps falling, but the number of people put in solitary stays high
September 15, 2019
The Boston Globe
Maria Cramer
Mass. DOC is making a mockery of new solitary confinement regulations
July 15, 2019
The Boston Globe
Editorial Staff
Rules would place ‘gag order’ on committee overseeing solitary confinement in Massachusetts jails and prisons
MassLive July 8th, 2019 By Shira Schoenberg BOSTON — Amid controversy over Massachusetts’ solitary confinement policies, prisoners’ rights advocates say the Department of Correction is seeking to hamstring an oversight committee with restrictive regulations that would limit members’ ability to visit prisons and bar them from speaking to the press. Those who expressed concern include key […]
‘It’s Still Driving People Mad’: Critic Of Solitary Confinement Discusses Its Difficulties
WGBH – All Things Considered March 4th, 2019 By Barbara Howard Reporter Chris Burrell, with our WGBH News partner the New England Center for Investigative Reporting, has been looking at solitary confinement in state prisons. Lizz Matos, executive director of the Prisoners’ Legal Services of Massachusetts, discussed the issue further with WGBH All Things Considered host Barbara Howard. […]
Jail Suicides Drop In Massachusetts After Years Of Increases
WGBH March 4, 2019 By Chris Burrell and Hannah Schoenbaum The number of inmate suicides in Massachusetts’ county jails dropped to three last year — the lowest tally since 2011 and a sharp decrease from 10 suicides the year before in jails run by county sheriffs, according to data compiled by the New England Center […]
There was a consensus to reduce solitary confinement. But it hasn’t translated into action
The Boston Globe February 27th, 2019 By Adrian Walker Can Massachusetts break its longstanding bond with solitary confinement? That question was supposed to have been settled in 2018. As the state enacted sweeping criminal justice reforms, one feature of the new law was a concerted effort to drive down the number of prisoners being held […]
’You’re creating monsters’: Advocates say new rules fail to reform solitary confinement in Massachusetts
MassLive February 20th, 2019 By Shira Schoenberg The criminal justice reform law that the Legislature passed last year contains reforms to the state’s solitary confinement system meant to provide inmates with better living conditions, limit the length of time someone can be held without review, and keep mentally ill inmates out of solitary confinement. The Department […]