Bill > S1544

This bill aims to promote equitable access to parole in Massachusetts. It makes several key changes to the state's parole system: 1. It requires that the parole board have members with specific qualifications, including experience in psychiatry, psychology, social work, or substance use disorder treatment, as well as a formerly incarcerated individual with relevant experience. It also mandates annual training on cultural competency, implicit bias, and structural racism for all parole board members, officers, and transitional service unit employees. 2. It expands eligibility for parole to nearly all prisoners serving a life sentence, with exceptions for certain first-degree murderers. It sets timelines for parole hearings and decision-making, and allows for the appointment of alternate board members in cases of conflicts of interest or unavailability. 3. It increases transparency and accountability in the parole process, such as requiring public hearings, making more information available to prisoners, and detailing the reasons for parole decisions. It also prohibits the consideration of certain types of evidence in parole determinations. 4. It establishes new guidelines for parole conditions, limiting their restrictiveness and requiring a direct connection to the prisoner's crime of conviction. It also prohibits certain conditions, like banning association with specific individuals or testing for legal drug use. 5. Finally, it requires the parole board to collect and publicly report detailed data on parole grants, denials, and revocations, including breakdowns by factors like race, ethnicity, and disability.

Justice

https://malegislature.gov/Bills/193/S1544