Chief Justice of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court, Ralph Gants , sat down with Jim to talk historic turnover in the court, criminal justice reform and expanding access to justice.
Currently, a majority of people who need legal services and free representation cannot get it due to lack of funding. About two out of three people who qualify for legal aid are turned away because there are not enough legal services attorneys to represent them.
Jim asked Gants, "why shouldn't there be a Gideon case for civil legal services?" Gants replied, "Right now, constitutionally, it's only matters of liberty which entitle you to an attorney."
"We are aiming for 100% access", said Gants. "We're trying to do the best we can with the quite limited resources that we have."
They discussed reformation of mandatory minimums. Gants referred to three things that need to be done in relation to criminal sentencing. "We need to make sure that the punishment is appropriate to the crime. We also need to make sure that the punishment provides the best chance for that individual to not recidivate...and we also need to reduce the overall rate of incarceration."
They also discussed issues of fairness and race in the judicial system. "For whatever reason, those who are persons of color are more likely to face a mandatory minimum than those who are not."
