SJC RULING ON PRISONER RELEASE

Today the SJC gave us a partial victory in their ruling concerning the release of prisoners in Massachusetts jails. They ruled that only pre-trial detainees being held on bail for non violent offenses could be eligible for release. There would be a hearing to decide on a case by case basis. The ACLU said the ruling didn’t go far enough to protect inmates from COVID-19. They had hoped for a broader release of inmates. The court also ordered correction officials to make daily reports on the number of infected detainees.
Thanks to all those that weighed in on this important issue.
Fraternally,

Jim Machado
Executive Director