Bill > H1995

This bill aims to strengthen sentencing provisions for hate crimes in Massachusetts by requiring individuals convicted of or granted a continuance without a finding for certain offenses to complete a diversity awareness program. The program will be designed by the secretary of the executive office of public safety in consultation with the Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination and must be approved by the chief justice of the trial court. If the court determines that the defendant's actions were motivated by race, color, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, or disability, the court must order the completion of this program. The individual must complete the diversity awareness program either before being released from incarceration or before completing probation, unless the court provides specific written findings explaining why the program should not be required. The bill modifies existing sections of Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 265, which deals with crimes against persons, to implement these new requirements, with the goal of promoting understanding and reducing bias-motivated offenses through mandatory educational intervention.

Justice

https://malegislature.gov/Bills/194/H1995