In late March, the Massachusetts state legislature released a major criminal justice reform bill. The bill would repeal some mandatory minimum sentences for drug offenses and change the way the state approaches juvenile offenders, among other measures.
Carol Rose, executive director of the Massachusetts ACLU, told Boston Public Radio that the legislation — a compromise between earlier House and Senate bills — is a good start.
“I think it represents a lot of progress,” she said.
Rose praised a provision of the bill that requires the collection of arrest data, which she says researchers can search for evidence of racial or age disparities or other patterns.
But she said she was disappointed that the bill includes new mandatory minimums for drugs like fentanyl, an opioid which has been at the center of the opioid epidemic.
“It sounds good on the surface if you’re worried about the opioid epidemic,” Rose said. “But if you’re honestly worried about the opioid epidemic, rather than thinking you can cure it through laws and locking people up, you should be investing in public health.”
The bill must next pass both chambers of the legislature before it reaches the governor’s desk.
