Bill > S1706

This bill establishes the Massachusetts Rehabilitation Oversight Committee (M-ROC), a diverse eight-member commission charged with comprehensively reviewing substance use and treatment in Massachusetts correctional facilities. The committee will include representatives from corrections, sheriffs' associations, prisoner advocacy groups, addiction recovery organizations, and mental health professionals. Members will have full access to state prisons and houses of correction, allowing them to interview staff and prisoners, and gather detailed information about substance use trends, treatment effectiveness, rehabilitation needs, disciplinary procedures, overdoses, and contraband issues. The Department of Correction and County Sheriffs' Departments must provide quarterly data on substance use disorder (SUD) treatment, including racial composition of prisoners, treatment wait times, treatment types, and mental health co-occurring disorders. The committee is required to publish an annual public report with recommendations for improving treatment programs, ensuring treatment continuity, developing more meaningful interventions, exploring alternatives to disciplinary actions for substance-related infractions, and evaluating policies aimed at reducing drug contraband in correctional facilities. The first report is due within one year of the bill's passage, and will be distributed to relevant legislative committees.

Budget and Finance, Justice

https://malegislature.gov/Bills/194/S1706