Bill > H2831

This bill aims to reform the prisoner classification system in the Commonwealth by establishing new regulations and procedures for the commissioner of correction, who is responsible for determining the security and rehabilitative programming needs of each inmate. The key provisions include mandating an objective, validated, point-based classification system, limiting the number of offenders in maximum security facilities to no more than fifteen percent at any given time, and ensuring at least thirty percent of offenders are classified into minimum security facilities, which include pre-release or work-release programs. Furthermore, the bill requires that at least eighty percent of offenders progress to minimum security or pre-release facilities by the time they have served eighty percent of their sentence, with the overarching goal of containing correctional costs and promoting offender rehabilitation while balancing public safety.