parole Archives

Parole In Massachusetts: Ignored, Misunderstood, And Misrepresented

How executive indifference, an overburdened board, and a sensationalist media are failing the promise of parole in the commonwealth

JEAN TROUNSTINE January 21, 2026

Parole Board Questions Dying Prisoner On 30-Year-Old Murder, Not His Health

For James Ware, an extremely ill Department of Correction prisoner, a final chance at release after medical parole denial

ELIZA DEWEY September 17, 2025

The Battle Over The Newest Member Of The Massachusetts Parole Board

Will former chief parole supervisor Angelo Gomez help or hurt the overburdened board? Some say he is “the right man” and dedicated to “support not surveillance.” Others question his priorities.

JEAN TROUNSTINE July 31, 2025

Struggles In Reentry: A New Chapter For New Beginnings

Dorchester service provider for recently incarcerated individuals shifts from residential to day programs in the face of funding challenges

JEAN TROUNSTINE April 3, 2025

Organizers, Lawmakers Propose “Clean Slate” For Eligible Past Offenders

Legislation would create “modern, automated system to seal Criminal Offender Record Information” (CORIs), clearing barriers to housing, employment, and more

DANA FORSYTHE January 12, 2025

THE BEST OF BINJ: PRISON & PAROLE REPORTING

Coverage of prisons and parole in Massachusetts from the past decade, including the unparalleled reporting of Jean Trounstine

BINJ ONLINE November 14, 2024

Wrongful Conviction Compensation Massachusetts

New BINJ Feature On Wrongful Conviction Compensation

Nearly a hundred people have been exonerated by state and federal courts in Massachusetts since 1989. “Together, they spent more than 1,341 years imprisoned for crimes they did not commit.”

BINJ ONLINE November 8, 2024

Is Philip Chism’s Sentence Unlawful? Lawyers Raise New Questions In Appeal Before Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court

Attorneys argue: “Because the non-homicide sentences govern when [Chism] is eligible for parole, he can’t see the Parole Board for 40 years where it would be 30 years at most for any juvenile sentenced to first-degree murder.”

JEAN TROUNSTINE October 29, 2024

GOVERNING IN DARKNESS: Part 3

Who are the Massachusetts governor’s councilors? What professional baggage do they bring to the body? And can this motley crew stumble toward reform?

JEAN TROUNSTINE August 29, 2024

GOVERNING IN DARKNESS: Part 2

With its hollow rules, ethical dilemmas, and reluctance to address a lack of transparency and other problems, the Governor’s Council has no clothes

JEAN TROUNSTINE August 14, 2024