Photo Credit: Mike Vigneux
Mass. Bar partnered with MassINC on a presentation and panel discussion on criminal justice reform at UMass Boston
MassINC, the Massachusetts Bar Association and the Massachusetts
Criminal Justice Reform Coalition hosted a presentation and panel
discussion entitled "Reform, Re-entry and Results: Change and
Progress in the Massachusetts Criminal Justice System" on Thursday,
Feb. 20, at UMass Boston.
The event featured remarks from Gov. Deval L. Patrick, who
announced a program that aims to reduce recidivism by prison
inmates by 50 percent during the next five years. The governor
called for the reinstatement of the Sentencing Commission, the
limited use of restraints on mentally ill inmates in state prisons
to only those that pose "serious and immediate" danger, and the
abolishment of the use of restraints on pregnant inmates.
Patrick highlighted the importance of re-entry programs, stating
that 97 percent of those incarcerated will return to Massachusetts
communities after serving time in prison. Patrick also stressed the
prevention and treatment of substance abuse as primarily a health
problem.
"Punishing people for addiction doesn't work. We need to treat
substance abuse as a health problem instead of a criminal one,"
said Patrick.
Patrick's remarks came as the introduction to the release of new
MassINC Polling Group results "Ready
for Reform? Public Opinion on Criminal Justice in
Massachusetts." The MassInc Polling Group results were derived
from a recently concluded public opinion research project on
criminal justice reform in the state. The research included four
focus groups and a statewide telephone poll of 1,207 Massachusetts
residents. See the March issue of Massachusetts Lawyers
Journal for more information.
The event concluded with a panel discussion of experts and
activists responding to Patrick's remarks as well as the new public
opinion data. Panelists were: Greg Torres (moderator), president,
MassINC; True-See Allah, Director, Boston Reentry Initiative -
Suffolk County Sheriff's Department; Kevin Burke, Massachusetts
Secretary of Public Safety and Security (2007-2010), co-chair,
Massachusetts Criminal Justice Reform Coalition; Andrea Cabral,
Massachusetts Secretary of Public Safety and Security; John
Larivee, CEO, Community Resources for Justice; Marian T. Ryan,
Middlesex District Attorney; Max D. Stern, partner, Stern Shapiro
Weissberg & Garin LLP, co-chair, Massachusetts Criminal Justice
Reform Coalition; and Steven W. Tompkins, Suffolk County
Sheriff.