Bill > H2636

This bill establishes an Independent Correctional Oversight Office called the Inclusion, Diversity, Anti-Racism, and Equity Unit (IDAREU) to address structural racism in Massachusetts correctional facilities. The office will be led by an anti-racism corrections inspector general, who will be appointed for a five-year term by a diverse panel including the attorney general, state auditor, and Black and Latino caucus chair. The inspector general must be a civilian with expertise in structural racism, restorative justice, and related fields, and cannot have previous corrections employment. A nine-member community council will provide oversight, with at least six members directly impacted by structural racism, including family members and formerly incarcerated individuals. The office will have broad powers to investigate correctional facilities, including reviewing operations like searches, programming, medical care, disciplinary processes, and staff conduct. It will collect and analyze racial data, receive and investigate complaints about disparate treatment, conduct independent investigations, and publish public reports with recommendations. The office is designed to be independent, with the authority to enter facilities, interview prisoners confidentially, hold public hearings, subpoena documents, and impose sanctions on departments that do not cooperate. The goal is to dismantle structural racism in corrections by ensuring accountability, transparency, and equitable treatment of Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) in the correctional system.

Justice

https://malegislature.gov/Bills/194/H2636