BOSTON — State lawmakers are being urged to make phone calls for prisoners free following a Supreme Judicial Court decision that allows county sheriffs to continue charging inmates and their
Involuntary treatment programs at jails and prisons in Massachusetts for people with substance use or alcohol disorders can create "inhumane" settings and lead to relapses post-release, critics of a section of state law that allows civil commitments for treatment.
Advocates are backing a pair of state budget amendments that would remove funding for involuntary substance use disorder programs run by the Hampden County Sheriff s Office and the Department of
The Massachusetts Legislature’s Criminal Justice Reform Caucus will hold a Wednesday briefing on legislation that would make phone, video and other electronic communications free in jails and prisons.
Working for $5 per week while behind bars, Jasmin Borges could afford just one 20-minute phone call with her daughters each week. She s now one of many people advocating for