Bill > S847

This bill aims to promote the use of restorative justice practices in the criminal and juvenile justice systems in Massachusetts. The key provisions include: 1. Establishing restorative justice as an option for criminal and juvenile justice practitioners, with the goal of reducing recidivism and the need for more intensive legal responses. 2. Defining restorative justice as a voluntary process where offenders, victims, and the community collectively address the harm caused by an offense, with the offender taking responsibility and making amends. 3. Allowing for the diversion of juvenile and adult defendants to community-based restorative justice programs at any stage of a case, with the consent of the District Attorney and the victim. 4. Exempting certain offenses, such as sexual offenses and offenses against family/household members, from eligibility for these programs. 5. Ensuring the confidentiality of statements made during the restorative justice process and preventing them from being used as evidence in subsequent legal proceedings. 6. Establishing a Restorative Justice Advisory Committee to review and approve community-based restorative justice programs, as well as track the use and outcomes of these programs and make recommendations for further development.

Justice

https://malegislature.gov/Bills/190/S847