Bill > S1262

This bill proposes several amendments to Section 39 of Chapter 265 of Massachusetts law, which appears to relate to hate crimes, by increasing various penalties and sentencing provisions. Specifically, the bill would change the maximum prison sentence from five to ten years, modify the type of correctional facility from a house of correction to state prison, increase the potential prison term from two and a half years to five years, raise the potential fine from ten to twenty thousand dollars, increase another fine from five to ten thousand dollars, and double the minimum sentence from one to two years. While the exact details of the specific hate crime are not provided in the bill text, these amendments suggest a legislative intent to impose more stringent criminal penalties for hate-related offenses, potentially reflecting a desire to create stronger legal consequences and deterrence for such crimes. The bill would make these changes to the existing law as it appeared in the 2022 official edition, indicating an effort to update and potentially toughen the state's approach to hate crime prosecution.

Budget and Finance, Justice

https://malegislature.gov/Bills/194/S1262