Bill > S2944

This bill establishes a moratorium, or a temporary halt, on the construction and expansion of correctional facilities, which are defined as jails and prisons. Specifically, it prohibits state or public agencies from studying, planning, designing, acquiring, leasing, searching for sites, or constructing new jails or prisons, or from expanding existing ones beyond their current capacity. The bill also prevents the conversion of existing or dormant correctional facilities for detention or incarceration purposes, and limits renovations to routine maintenance and improvements that do not increase bed capacity and aim to improve living conditions for incarcerated individuals. However, it allows for the transfer of a limited number of beds from a closed county jail to another county correctional facility within the same county under specific circumstances. Additionally, the bill includes provisions that will take effect five years after its enactment, including the repeal of the moratorium section and a prohibition on the Department of Corrections owning or utilizing off-street parking on the Boston Medical Center campus.