Bill > S913

This bill enacts the Uniform Collateral Consequences of Conviction Act in Massachusetts. The key provisions are: 1) It requires the Executive Office of the Trial Court to identify and publish a collection of all collateral consequences (legal penalties or disabilities) that can result from a criminal conviction in Massachusetts, as well as any provisions that may allow relief from those consequences. 2) It mandates that defendants be notified of potential collateral consequences at key stages of the criminal justice process, including at arraignment, during plea bargaining, at sentencing, and upon release from incarceration. 3) It establishes a process for individuals convicted of an offense to petition the court for an "order of limited relief" or a "certificate of restoration of rights" to have certain collateral consequences lifted, with some exceptions such as sex offender registration requirements. 4) It specifies how convictions from other states or the federal government should be treated for the purposes of imposing or relieving collateral consequences in Massachusetts. The overall goal of the bill is to increase transparency around collateral consequences and provide convicted individuals with a path to mitigate the long-term, non-criminal penalties they may face even after completing their sentences.

Justice

https://malegislature.gov/Bills/192/S913