Last Thursday, I was proud to join my colleagues in passing comprehensive criminal justice reform legislation after 14 hours of debate on the Senate floor.
I am very pleased that bail reform was included in the final version of the omnibus bill – our office has worked incredibly hard over the past few months to move this provision forward. To read my full statement on bail reform, please click here. In addition, my colleague Senator Brownsberger, the Senate Chair of the Joint Committee on the Judiciary, provides an informative summary of the bail reform provisions at this link on his website.
With this bill, the Senate took critical action to move Massachusetts toward a fairer system that focuses on lessening unnecessary incarceration and increasing access to diversion programs. We still have a lot more work to do, but we have certainly taken a step in the right direction.
Thank you to everyone who called, emailed, and visited my office to express your advocacy for criminal justice reform over the past several weeks. Your voice truly had a say in the outcome of this legislation. If you have any additional questions or comments, please share your thoughts below, call my office at (617) 722-1432, or email me directly at Cindy.Friedman@masenate.gov.
Totally approve, and extremely happy with this change. Well done, Senator.
This is essential, and the amount of political capital expended makes it a “once in a generation” kind of initiative. I am reaching out to my rep (who backs it) and other “influencers” to tell them how important this is to me. The real difficulty will come when this goes into committee & even more, when it hits the Governor’s desk (he has already expressed “grave reservations”). The more the support, the larger the majority. For those who care about social justice and an equitable system, this really matters. Congratulations and thank-you Cindy.
Feedback:
Criminal Justice may not be my niche, but I am relieved to hear about the Senate passing Criminal Justice Reform.
Having read Jean Trounstein’s Boy With A Knife and Shakespeare Behind Bars, I am convinced this legislation has been long overdue.
Cheers to Cindy and her Senate co-voters!