prison Archives

“Ain’t Nobody Helping Me.” More Calls For Reforms To Massachusetts Wrongful Conviction Compensation Law

Legal advocates have said the Massachusetts system for compensating victims of wrongful convictions is unfair. Here’s their plan to fix it.

ANDREW QUEMERE July 2, 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

Remembering Arnie King, Who Chronicled The Lives Of Those Dying In Prison

Arnold Leroy King, iconic prisoner rights advocate, fought for “lack of commutations being granted to exceptional and deserving individuals who are aging in the state’s overcrowded prison system.”

CHRIS FARAONE February 27, 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

Compensation For Wrongful Convictions In Massachusetts: The Fight For Justice And Reform

The challenges for those seeking wrongful conviction compensation in Massachusetts, the push for reform, and the impact on exonerees. This is how advocates are fighting to remove the $1 million cap and improve the justice system.

ANDREW QUEMERE October 28, 2024

RESEARCHING THE MASSACHUSETTS GOVERNOR’S COUNCIL

New series by Jean Trounstine includes original data set on Massachusetts judicial appointments culled from hundreds of paper files

BINJ ONLINE July 26, 2024

GRADING THE PAROLE BOARD

The Massachusetts Parole Board still faces big challenges despite making some improvements this past year. Its final member was approved this week, but is the body equipped to operate efficiently?

JEAN TROUNSTINE April 3, 2024