prison Archives

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

A “NEW HOPE”

What the Mattis decision means for parole in Massachusetts—unprecedented opportunities for release from life sentences, updated trainings for attorneys, and a big shift in the system

JEAN TROUNSTINE February 1, 2024

DIAMONDS & GUNS

The untold story of Charles Taylor’s time in the Bay State, the crimes he committed, and the prison he escaped from before ransacking Liberia and Sierra Leone.

NATE HOMAN January 9, 2024

DIAMONDS & GUNS

The untold story of Charles Taylor’s time in the Bay State, the crimes he committed, and the prison he escaped from before ransacking Liberia and Sierra Leone.

NATE HOMAN January 9, 2024

AN INFAMOUS WEST AFRICAN WARLORD’S BAY STATE JAILBREAK

The only prisoner to make a clean getaway from the Plymouth County House of Correction is also the first world leader convicted of international war crimes since the Nazis. This is the untold story of Charles Taylor’s time in the Bay State, the crimes he committed, and the prison he

NATE HOMAN January 7, 2024