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support legislation
Please support legislation that can lead to their release. Our site has a list of important legislation made up of sound law and public safety measures, clearly explained and defined. Contact your local representatives and tell them you support these bills.
Juvenile Justice Omnibus Bill
Juvenile Justice Omnibus Bill (S.947/H.3079 by Sen. Karen E. Spilka and Rep. Kay Khan)
An Act to Promote Better Outcomes for Young People in the Commonwealth (H.3037/S.816 by Rep. Carvalho and Sen. Cynthia Creem)
These bills will raise the juvenile age to 20 years old, and recognize "emerging adults" as there own distinct category. Supported by more than forty organizations and grounded in the latest neuroscience, this bill will contribute to correcting the criminal malpractice of mass incarceration. Recognizing that brain development is not complete until the mid-20s or later, evidence shows "emerging adults" are developmentally similar to their 17 year old peers when it comes to impulse, susceptibility, influence, and risk taking. The National Institute of Health shows massive brain reorganization between 12-25 years of age, leaving some brain experts to question whether adolescent immature brains are in a state akin to mental retardation. The Supreme Court has ruled this evidence means they cannot be as culpable as an adult, who has full faculties of reason, and that the likelihood of "emerging adults" to be rehabilitated is a strong motive, in the name of justice, to give them an opportunity to return to society. In Massachusetts, this can't be done until we pass these bills.
Act to Relative Parole
An Act to Relative Parole (S.D.1860/H.D.1930 by Sen. Creem and Rep. Vargas and Miranda)
An Act Establishing Presumptive Parole (H.D.3620 by Rep. David Rogers)
These bill will allow the parole board to work more efficiently and transparently, requiring the Parole Board to rely on evidence based guidelines and best practices, while making their methods publicly available. Since crime is a public health and safety issue, it will ensure at least three members of the board have a minimum of five years of experience in the fields of psychiatry, psychology, social work, or treatment of substance abuse, and that at least one of those members be licensed mental health professional. It also establishes wraparound coverage through assistance with medically appropriate placement through the Department of Public Health. Too often the Parole Board's decision for release are arbitrary, capricious, hidden from the public, and adversely effecting people of color. In our struggle to combat systemic racism, an open and fair process is our only way to ensure equability. These bills are important for securing our public's safety, and in building trust within our community through science based criteria and transparency.