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: The Real Cost of Prisons Weblog

MA: Editorial: Reform sentencing to save money, reduce crime

By Real Cost of Prisons Project (The Sentencing Project)

Editorial: Reform sentencing to save money, reduce crime GateHouse News Service Posted May 08, 2009 The case for reforming criminal sentencing in Massachusetts has been evident for years. Mandatory minimum sentences handcuff judges, denying them the flexibility they need to ensure justice and protect public safety in light of the specific case at hand. They pack the prisons with people who come out more dangerous than they went in. And they deny courts and prosecutors the most effective tools for keeping released prisoners from offending again. Those serving mandatory minimum sentences, most of them drug offenders, aren't eligible for work release programs, "good conduct" credits or parole. As a result, nearly a thousand inmates a year are released back into the community with none of the post-release supervision proven to keep ex-offenders from committing crimes again...continue to full post

Full post as published by The Real Cost of Prisons Weblog on May 10, 2009 (boomark / email).