To the Esteemed Members of the Legislature,
In the 192nd session, the legislature listened to community demands and passed the Jail and Prison Construction Moratorium which was then vetoed by former Governor Charlie Baker. Thank you for passing this critical legislation. We, the undersigned organizations, urge you to pass the Prison Moratorium as filed as soon as possible again this session. This bill will create a five year pause on prison and jail construction and expansion; it will not prevent urgently needed repairs.
Incarcerated women, formerly incarcerated women, women with incarcerated loved ones, and our organizations oppose the state’s plan to build a new $50 million women’s prison. This project goes beyond basic repairs; the clear goal is total reconstruction to incarcerate the daughters, granddaughters, and great-granddaughters of the Commonwealth.
There is no such thing as a safe or trauma-informed prison for women. DOC has an extensive and well documented record of violence, abuse, and refusal to implement reforms. No new building will change that culture of harm and dehumanization. DOC fails to give people what they need to heal and advance their lives.
Our organizations advocate for civil and human rights, dignity, equity, and justice. Our collective vision for capital spending includes affordable housing, schools, transportation, drug treatment facilities, community centers, parks, playgrounds, and greenspace. We know what residents need is more access to resources like food, housing, care, income, education, and childcare – not more prison cells.
Incarcerated women are asking for physical and mental healthcare, healing, treatment, and reunification with their children which cannot happen in a prison setting. Community infrastructure and resources are the solutions to create real safety and well-being and address the root causes of incarceration.
Investment in jail and prison construction and expansion will move Massachusetts in the wrong direction. We can and must do better for future generations. Over the next five years, we should focus on further decreasing our incarcerated population, implementing community alternatives, and investing in what we know people need to thrive. Directly affected women are already leading that work. With the lowest incarcerated population in the country – this is the time and place to pass the Prison Moratorium.
The legislature is currently considering policies that will help eliminate the need for any new jail or prison construction. We urge you to enact the Jail and Prison Construction Moratorium, then keep going to pass policies to stem the tide of people into incarceration and to maximize pathways to release. Please support:
An Act Relative to Primary Caretakers Diversion - creates an opportunity for pre-trial diversion for parents of dependent children, pregnant people, and people taking care of aging or sick family members. This policy would build off the successful passage of the Primary Caretakers Act as part of the Criminal Justice Reform Act which allows parents to file a motion with the court to request a community-based sentence
An Act Establishing Parole Review for Aging Incarcerated People - gives people who are 55 and older and have served half of their sentence or at least 15 years the chance to see the Parole Board. MA has one of the oldest incarcerated populations in the United States and this measure would create the opportunity for the oldest and sickest incarcerated people to be safely releasedFormerly incarcerated women led a historic organizing effort last session to pass the Prison Moratorium with the resounding support of residents who repeatedly marched, rallied, and testified in favor of the legislation. Jail and prison construction is a false promise that will ultimately fail to protect the well-being of people and communities – so let’s pause and create what different looks like in Massachusetts. Please finish the important work you started last session and ensure the Prison Moratorium becomes law.
Sincerely,
Families for Justice as Healing
The National Council for Incarcerated and Formerly Incarcerated Women and Girls
Building Up People Not Prisons And
Progressive Massachusetts, statewide
Prisoners' Legal Services of Massachusetts, statewide
Project Turnaround, Suffolk County
New Beginnings Reentry Services, Inc, Suffolk County
Jane Doe Inc. The Massachusetts Coalition Against Sexual Assault and Domestic Violence, statewide
Boston Immigration Justice Accompaniment Network, BIJAN, statewide
First Parish in Brookline, Suffolk County
UU Mass Action, statewide
The Harvest Cup, Worcester
National Lawyers Guild – Harvard Law School Chapter, Suffolk and Middlesex County
Mass NOW, statewide
Solidarity with the Incarcerated, RI/MA, Middlesex
Arise For Social Justice, Hampden
United American Indians of New England (UAINE), statewide
Jewish Voice for Peace Boston, statewide
Actual Justice Task Team of Southern New England United Church of Christ, statewide
Showing Up for Racial Justice (SURJ) Boston, Suffolk and Middlesex County
Material Aid and Advocacy Program, Middlesex
Cambridge United for Justice with Peace, Middlesex
Boston Immigration Justice and Accompaniment Network, Eastern Massachusetts
Allston Brighton Health Collaborative, Suffolk
Massachusetts Bail Fund, statewide
Brandeis Pro-Choice, Waltham
American Civil Liberties Union of Massachusetts, statewide
T’ruah: The Rabbinic Call for Human Rights, Massachusetts, statewide
Disability Law Center, statewide
Franklin County Continuing the Political Revolution, Franklin
North Central MA Showing Up for Racial Justice (SURJ), Middlesex and Worcester County
Act on Mass, statewide
New England United 4 Justice (NEU4J), Suffolk County
Sharon Interfaith Action, Norfolk County
First Parish in Bedford, Middlesex County
Mental Health Legal Advisors Committee, statewide
Boston University's National Lawyers Guild, Suffolk County
Jamaica Plain Progressives, Suffolk County
Massachusetts Peace Action, statewide
Women’s Fund of Western MA, Berkshires, Franklin, Hampden, and Hampshire County
Kavod Boston, Suffolk County
The Lavender Thread, Hampden
Illinois Alliance for Reentry and Justice, national
Boston Liberation Health, Suffolk County
Wellesley for the Abolition of Militarism and Incarceration, Suffolk County
Human Impact Partners (HIP), national
Center for Economic Democracy, statewide
Health Equity Partnership of North Central Mass Inc, Worcester County
Boston Workers Circle: Center for Jewish Culture and Social Justice, Norfolk County
Mass Feminist Struggle Committee, Suffolk County
Boston Democratic Socialists of America, Statewide
Students for Sexual Health, Suffolk County
Wellesley Friends Meeting, Norfolk County
Grassroots Central Mass, Worcester and Hampden
REACH Beyond Domestic Violence, Middlesex County
DOVE, Inc., Norfolk County
Immigration Justice Task Force @ First Parish UU Concord, Statewide
Resource Generation Boston, Middlesex and Suffolk County
Congregation Dorshei Tzedek, Middlesex County
Our Harvard Can Do Better, Cambridge
New England Learning Center for Women in Transition, Franklin County & the North Quabbin
Somerville Ward 5 Democratic Committee, Middlesex County
Prison Abolition Collective, Hampshire County
MASC (Massachusetts Against Solitary Confinement), Statewide
Wellesley for Reproductive Justice, Norfolk County
Decarcerate Western Mass Bailout Project, Hampshire and Franklin County
National Association of Social Workers - MA Chapter (NASW-MA), Statewide
Lupinewood Collective, Franklin County
Greater Boston Legal Services, Suffolk County
The F8 Foundation, Statewide
Criminal Justice Policy Coalition, Suffolk County
Transition House, Inc., Middlesex County
Casa Myrna Vazquez, Inc., Suffolk County
New Hope, Inc., Bristol County and Worcester County
Actual Justice Task Team of Southern New England United Church of Christ, Statewide
Mental Health Legal Advisors Committee, Statewide
Muslim Justice League, Suffolk County
Temple Hillel B’nai Torah, West Roxbury, Suffolk County
YWCA Cambridge, Statewide
Jewish Activists for Immigration Justice of Western Massachusetts, Hampshire and Franklin County
Neighbors United for a Better East Boston (NUBE), East Boston and Statewide
Taunton Diversity Network, Inc., Bristol County
Northeastern University Sexual Health Advocacy, Resources, and Education (NU SHARE), Suffolk County
The Village Worcester, Worcester County
United Women in Faith, Community United Methodist Church, Wayland, Middlesex County
Boston Ward 19 Democratic Committee, Suffolk County
Temple Hillel B’nai Torah, Suffolk County
Inside the Sun, Suffolk County
Justice 4 Housing, Statewide
Youth Justice and Power Union, Suffolk County
Partakers Empowerment Program (Brandeis Educational Justice Initiative), Statewide