The entrance of the Massachusetts Correctional Institution in Shirley, Mass. (Gretchen Ertl/AP)
The Massachusetts Department of Correction will suspend operations at two prisons, saying the decision was driven by low prisoner population. The department said it will also begin releasing more prisoners to home confinement in February.
The moves come as lawmakers approved an amendment requiring the department to regularly report on its efforts to release prisoners during the coronavirus pandemic.
The DOC said the state s prison population is at its lowest level in almost 35 years, so it will temporarily suspend operations at housing units that hold minimum-security and pre-release prisoners at the Massachusetts Correctional Institute in Shirley and South Middlesex Correctional Center.
(Jesse Costa/WBUR)
Two lawsuits filed in the past week allege that Massachusetts correction officials are endangering prisoners and staff during the pandemic, refusing to take steps that would tamp down infections and protect communities outside the prison walls.
Both suits say the current outbreaks in correctional facilities could have been avoided if more prisoners were released. In the past six weeks over 1,000 prisoners have been confirmed infected, over two thirds of the total infections to date. Five incarcerated people have died in the past month, reads the preliminary injunction filed Wednesday by Prisoners Legal Services of Massachusetts (PLSMA). All the measures DOC has put in place to control the spread of infection, such as lockdowns, mask use, and disinfection, have failed.
The search for Massachusetts next top federal prosecutor is about to begin in earnest.
Incoming President Joe Biden will appoint the next U.S. attorney for Massachusetts, but a local advisory committee expects to begin reviewing applications as early as next week. The committee was set up by Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Ed Markey, who will ultimately recommend who the next president should appoint to replace current U.S. Attorney Andrew Lelling.
The chair of the advisory committee, retired federal judge Nancy Gertner, says the panel interested in talking with the candidates about the power wielded by prosecutors and whether changes might be needed, although that will largely depend on the next attorney general.
Prison gang member pleads guilty to racketeering charge eagletribune.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from eagletribune.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
A former member of the Latin Kings in the Massachusetts Department of Correction Chapter pleaded guilty this week to racketeering charges.
Sandra Correa, or “Queen Dream,” 35, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to conduct enterprise affairs through a pattern of racketeering activity, or RICO conspiracy. A sentencing date will be scheduled at a later time, according to a media release from the office of U.S. Attorney Andrew E. Lelling.
Federal prosecutors say the Latin Kings bring disputes and related gang violence into jails and prisons. As a top member responsible for activities behind bars, Correa transmitted information to and from incarcerated gang members on behalf of the organization. This information included identities of victims targeted for violence in the jails and prisons, the locations of incarcerated members, the standing of certain individuals with the gang, and the status of disputes and alliances with other gangs, Lelling s office said.