Even after federal investigators alleged that the Massachusetts Department of Corrections violates the constitutional rights of inmates by failing to supervise mentally ill inmates and forcing lengthy mental health-watches in restrictive housing, prisoner advocates say no changes have been made to correct the problems.
Gov. Charlie Baker said Nov. 18, the day after the federal investigation from U.S. Attorney Andrew Lelling was released, that "this is a fail that needs to get fixed."
"A lot of that stuff that he recommends and his folks recommend, it came out of dialog and conversation's taking place with DOC over the course of the investigation," Baker said, adding that the Executive Office of Health and Human Services is also involved.
But Elizabeth Matos from Prisoners' Legal Services, a corrections watchdog group, says there's no evidence the Department of Corrections has changed anything.
"As far as we can see through interviews with our clients, I don't know that any significant changes have actually been implemented yet," Matos told GBH News.
The federal investigation insisted, against a penalty of legal action against the state, that Massachusetts prisons add mental health clinicians and supervision to better monitor inmates under mental health watch.
Rep. Ruth Balser was surprised by the feds' findings since she says there are already laws in Massachusetts regarding mental health care in prisons.
"What's very alarming about the report is it does not sound like these policies that were enacted by the Legislature are being followed in our state prisons," Balser said.
The Department of Corrections would not comment on any changes they've made since the federal report, saying only that they have implemented additional training to staff, intervention plans for inmates that harm themselves, and have stopped selling razors to inmates at some facilities, which the report criticized.
In a statement from Nov. 17, Department of Correction spokesperson Jason Dobson wrote the department "has already begun to address the issues raised in the report and maintain the significant progress we have already made."
"The Department remains deeply committed to the health and well-being of all entrusted to our care and fully invested in protecting their physical safety and civil rights," Dobson wrote.
Like Matos, Sen. Cindy Freidman (D-Arlington) says there's no reason to believe DOC has taken any major steps to increase care for the mentally ill and suicidal.
"And what my experience tells me is that I don't expect to see it. And if you're telling me that the thing you did was take a razor away from somebody who was seriously ill or suicidal, that's what you think is providing people with good care. You've got to be kidding," Friedman said.
Baker requested $730 million dollars for prisons in this year's budget, but Democrats cut that to under $688 million in their final spending plan.
