prison Archives

DOES A NEW GOVERNOR SIGNAL A NEW DIRECTION FOR THE MASS PAROLE BOARD?

“I know that if Sarah Coughlin is appointed to the Parole Board, she will be the people’s Parole Board member.”

JEAN TROUNSTINE September 18, 2023

UNPRECEDENTED TESTIMONY

Prisoners Are Front And Center At Historic Legislative Hearing “It has been proven that these life without parole sentences aren’t improving anything in our communities and continue to cause harm to families as people are incarcerated.” The packed room at the State House on Tuesday, July 25, was not unusual.

JEAN TROUNSTINE July 31, 2023

UNLOCKING HIGHER ED

Experts Make The Case For More College Behind Bars College classes cost less than half of what Mass pays to incarcerate people. So why aren’t we educating more prisoners? “Knowledge of the power structure that runs society has made the biggest difference in my life.” John Yang was released from

JEAN TROUNSTINE March 31, 2023

WILL RACE MATTER …

As Mass Reconsiders Life Without Parole For 18 To 20-Year-Olds? “Late adolescents are particularly likely to be sentenced based on systemic racism and implicit biases in policing, prosecution, and sentencing.” A potential history-making hearing was held before the seven justices at the Supreme Judicial Court (SJC) on Feb. 6, as

JEAN TROUNSTINE February 14, 2023

ON THE WAY HOME

A New Beginning For Formerly Incarcerated Women “Stepping into this house made me feel better … She has a way of transforming pain into passion.” When Stacey Borden exited MCI-Framingham for the final time in 2010, she was done with more than three decades of jail stints and drug use

JEAN TROUNSTINE January 11, 2023

STILL WAITING

Tainted Drug Evidence Victims Still Waiting For Settlement Payments “We’ve got a system in place where it’s just, grab this money from mostly poor people, but don’t have mechanisms in place to really account for what’s taken.” It may be a new year, but tens of thousands of individuals wrongfully

ZACK HUFFMAN January 9, 2023

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: CHERYL AMIRAULT LEFAVE

“Everything that I came across for 40 years has been a battle.” It seemed that last week a decades-old controversial case was headed for a pardon vote. Outgoing Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker had recommended a pardon for Cheryl Amirault LeFave and her brother, Gerald, in the well-known and highly disputed

JEAN TROUNSTINE December 22, 2022

“POLARIZING FORCE”

Governor’s Council weighs controversial Parole Board renomination “You have an unbelievable amount of people who are against you.” Governor’s Councilor Christopher Iannella, a personal injury attorney, was grilling Massachusetts Parole Board member Colette Santa on August 3. Santa, first nominated by Gov. Charlie Baker for the board in 2017, is

JEAN TROUNSTINE August 8, 2022

HIGH DRAMA

Unruly, argumentative Governor’s Council inflames Parole Board Hearings There was high drama on display again at a Massachusetts Governor’s Council meeting at the State House last week. During two nomination hearings on June 15, councilors argued with each other, used their podiums to air their pet peeves, and insulted and

JEAN TROUNSTINE June 20, 2022

PHONE CHECK

Mass is still gouging the families of prisoners on phone fees. Will lawmakers finally change that? For the past 10 years, Beverly Ross has spent hundreds of dollars a month on a middle-school teacher’s salary to ensure that her son knows his father, who is incarcerated in a Massachusetts

ASHLEY PETTUS April 11, 2022