📣Take Action in Support of No Cost Calls & the Prison Moratorium

Last year, after impressive organizing work from impacted communities, the MA Legislature passed No Cost Calls and the Prison Moratorium.

But neither became law because of our former Republican governor, Charlie Baker, who vetoed them at the end of the session.

We now have a new session, a new governor, and a new opportunity to complete these wins.

Earlier today, the Judiciary Committee on Beacon Hill held testimony on both of these and other bills. The case for both is still clear.

We know that we cannot incarcerate our way to public safety, and that investing in communities, not new prisons, helps communities to thrive.

And we know that keeping families connected, by ending the practice of charging predatory fees for phone calls to loved ones behind bars, is good for public safety and economic security.

And Beacon Hill knew both of these last year when they passed such legislation. Both chambers also recognized the importance of No Cost Calls when they included similar language in their FY 2024 budgets, still stuck in negotiations.

We shouldn’t have to wait until July of next year to finish these victories.

Can you email the State Legislature in support of No Cost Calls and the Prison Moratorium?

“Prisons as they are currently structured do not make us safer–they make us less safe.”

No New Womens Prison

By Caroline Bays, a member of the PM Board, PM Issues Committee, and Progressive Watertown

Thank you, Mr Chairman and all of you, for hearing my testimony today on S.1979 / H.1795, an act that would establish a five-year moratorium on building new prisons. 

I am usually before you as a Watertown city councilor or as a board member on behalf of Progressive Massachusetts. But today I  am here on behalf of my dear friend who has spent the last 16 of his 35 years in prison. 

Six years ago, I had a life-changing event when I was asked to visit this young man who was experiencing a mental health crisis. As a result, I have seen up close how dysfunctional, counter-productive, and destructive prisons are to the human beings who live within those walls. 

Prisons no longer even pay lip service to rehabilitation; they are designed purely for punishment. They no longer try to help people get back on their feet and become productive members of our society. The stories I have heard–the danger, harm, cruelty, and viciousness he has experienced are destructive not just to him but to our society and who we are as a state. 

Prisons as they are currently structured do not make us safer–they make us less safe. And we are harming the most vulnerable members of our society–people who need help. We are putting people who are mentally ill in prison; we are putting people who are addicted to drugs in prison; we are putting people who are experiencing dire poverty in prison. 

Since when did we decide that it was morally right to treat those who need our help as criminals and deny them the support and treatment they need? Whom does it help? This is cruel to those impacted and actually decreases our safety. 

I urge you to help us look for solutions that will benefit everyone–the incarcerated people and the general public.

PM Joins 89 Other Organizations from Across the State in Calling for a Prison Moratorium

Link to the letter here

To the Esteemed Members of the Legislature,

In the 192nd session, the legislature listened to community demands and passed the Jail and Prison Construction Moratorium which was then vetoed by former Governor Charlie Baker. Thank you for passing this critical legislation. We, the undersigned organizations, urge you to pass the Prison Moratorium as filed as soon as possible again this session. This bill will create a five year pause on prison and jail construction and expansion; it will not prevent urgently needed repairs.

Incarcerated women, formerly incarcerated women, women with incarcerated loved ones, and our organizations oppose the state’s plan to build a new $50 million women’s prison. This project goes beyond basic repairs; the clear goal is total reconstruction to incarcerate the daughters, granddaughters, and great-granddaughters of the Commonwealth.

There is no such thing as a safe or trauma-informed prison for women. DOC has an extensive and well documented record of violence, abuse, and refusal to implement reforms. No new building will change that culture of harm and dehumanization. DOC fails to give people what they need to heal and advance their lives.

Our organizations advocate for civil and human rights, dignity, equity, and justice. Our collective vision for capital spending includes affordable housing, schools, transportation, drug treatment facilities, community centers, parks, playgrounds, and greenspace. We know what residents need is more access to resources like food, housing, care, income, education, and childcare – not more prison cells.

Incarcerated women are asking for physical and mental healthcare, healing, treatment, and reunification with their children which cannot happen in a prison setting. Community infrastructure and resources are the solutions to create real safety and well-being and address the root causes of incarceration.

Investment in jail and prison construction and expansion will move Massachusetts in the wrong direction. We can and must do better for future generations. Over the next five years, we should focus on further decreasing our incarcerated population, implementing community alternatives, and investing in what we know people need to thrive. Directly affected women are already leading that work. With the lowest incarcerated population in the country – this is the time and place to pass the Prison Moratorium.

The legislature is currently considering policies that will help eliminate the need for any new jail or prison construction. We urge you to enact the Jail and Prison Construction Moratorium, then keep going to pass policies to stem the tide of people into incarceration and to maximize pathways to release. Please support:

An Act Relative to Primary Caretakers Diversion - creates an opportunity for pre-trial diversion for parents of dependent children, pregnant people, and people taking care of aging or sick family members. This policy would build off the successful passage of the Primary Caretakers Act as part of the Criminal Justice Reform Act which allows parents to file a motion with the court to request a community-based sentence
An Act Establishing Parole Review for Aging Incarcerated People - gives people who are 55 and older and have served half of their sentence or at least 15 years the chance to see the Parole Board. MA has one of the oldest incarcerated populations in the United States and this measure would create the opportunity for the oldest and sickest incarcerated people to be safely released

Formerly incarcerated women led a historic organizing effort last session to pass the Prison Moratorium with the resounding support of residents who repeatedly marched, rallied, and testified in favor of the legislation. Jail and prison construction is a false promise that will ultimately fail to protect the well-being of people and communities – so let’s pause and create what different looks like in Massachusetts. Please finish the important work you started last session and ensure the Prison Moratorium becomes law.

Sincerely,

Families for Justice as Healing
The National Council for Incarcerated and Formerly Incarcerated Women and Girls
Building Up People Not Prisons

And

Progressive Massachusetts, statewide
Prisoners' Legal Services of Massachusetts, statewide
Project Turnaround, Suffolk County
New Beginnings Reentry Services, Inc, Suffolk County
Jane Doe Inc. The Massachusetts Coalition Against Sexual Assault and Domestic Violence, statewide
Boston Immigration Justice Accompaniment Network, BIJAN, statewide
First Parish in Brookline, Suffolk County

UU Mass Action, statewide
The Harvest Cup, Worcester
National Lawyers Guild – Harvard Law School Chapter, Suffolk and Middlesex County
Mass NOW, statewide
Solidarity with the Incarcerated, RI/MA, Middlesex
Arise For Social Justice, Hampden
United American Indians of New England (UAINE), statewide
Jewish Voice for Peace Boston, statewide
Actual Justice Task Team of Southern New England United Church of Christ, statewide
Showing Up for Racial Justice (SURJ) Boston, Suffolk and Middlesex County
Material Aid and Advocacy Program, Middlesex
Cambridge United for Justice with Peace, Middlesex
Boston Immigration Justice and Accompaniment Network, Eastern Massachusetts
Allston Brighton Health Collaborative, Suffolk
Massachusetts Bail Fund, statewide
Brandeis Pro-Choice, Waltham
American Civil Liberties Union of Massachusetts, statewide
T’ruah: The Rabbinic Call for Human Rights, Massachusetts, statewide
Disability Law Center, statewide
Franklin County Continuing the Political Revolution, Franklin
North Central MA Showing Up for Racial Justice (SURJ), Middlesex and Worcester County
Act on Mass, statewide
New England United 4 Justice (NEU4J), Suffolk County
Sharon Interfaith Action, Norfolk County
First Parish in Bedford, Middlesex County
Mental Health Legal Advisors Committee, statewide
Boston University's National Lawyers Guild, Suffolk County
Jamaica Plain Progressives, Suffolk County 
Massachusetts Peace Action, statewide
Women’s Fund of Western MA, Berkshires, Franklin, Hampden, and Hampshire County
Kavod Boston, Suffolk County
The Lavender Thread, Hampden
Illinois Alliance for Reentry and Justice, national
Boston Liberation Health, Suffolk County
Wellesley for the Abolition of Militarism and Incarceration, Suffolk County
Human Impact Partners (HIP), national
Center for Economic Democracy, statewide
Health Equity Partnership of North Central Mass Inc, Worcester County
Boston Workers Circle: Center for Jewish Culture and Social Justice, Norfolk County
Mass Feminist Struggle Committee, Suffolk County
Boston Democratic Socialists of America, Statewide
Students for Sexual Health, Suffolk County
Wellesley Friends Meeting, Norfolk County
Grassroots Central Mass, Worcester and Hampden
REACH Beyond Domestic Violence, Middlesex County
DOVE, Inc., Norfolk County
Immigration Justice Task Force @ First Parish UU Concord, Statewide
Resource Generation Boston, Middlesex and Suffolk County
Congregation Dorshei Tzedek, Middlesex County
Our Harvard Can Do Better, Cambridge
New England Learning Center for Women in Transition, Franklin County & the North Quabbin
Somerville Ward 5 Democratic Committee, Middlesex County
Prison Abolition Collective, Hampshire County
MASC (Massachusetts Against Solitary Confinement), Statewide
Wellesley for Reproductive Justice, Norfolk County
Decarcerate Western Mass Bailout Project, Hampshire and Franklin County
National Association of Social Workers - MA Chapter (NASW-MA), Statewide
Lupinewood Collective, Franklin County
Greater Boston Legal Services, Suffolk County
The F8 Foundation, Statewide
Criminal Justice Policy Coalition, Suffolk County
Transition House, Inc., Middlesex County
Casa Myrna Vazquez, Inc., Suffolk County
New Hope, Inc., Bristol County and Worcester County
Actual Justice Task Team of Southern New England United Church of Christ, Statewide
Mental Health Legal Advisors Committee, Statewide
Muslim Justice League, Suffolk County
Temple Hillel B’nai Torah, West Roxbury, Suffolk County
YWCA Cambridge, Statewide
Jewish Activists for Immigration Justice of Western Massachusetts, Hampshire and Franklin County
Neighbors United for a Better East Boston (NUBE), East Boston and Statewide
Taunton Diversity Network, Inc., Bristol County
Northeastern University Sexual Health Advocacy, Resources, and Education (NU SHARE), Suffolk County
The Village Worcester, Worcester County
United Women in Faith, Community United Methodist Church, Wayland, Middlesex County
Boston Ward 19 Democratic Committee, Suffolk County
Temple Hillel B’nai Torah, Suffolk County
Inside the Sun, Suffolk County
Justice 4 Housing, Statewide
Youth Justice and Power Union, Suffolk County
Partakers Empowerment Program (Brandeis Educational Justice Initiative), Statewide

Massachusetts Doesn’t Need Another Women’s Prison. Not Now, Not Ever.

No New Womens Prison

Tuesday, June 27, 2023

Chair Collins, Chair Cabral, and Members of the Joint Committee on State Administration and Regulatory Oversight:

My name is Jonathan Cohn, and I am the Policy Director of Progressive Massachusetts, a statewide grassroots advocacy group committed to fighting for an equitable, just, democratic, and sustainable Commonwealth.

We urge you to give a favorable report to An Act Establishing a Jail and Prison Construction Moratorium (H. 1795 / S.1979).

Let me be clear: there is no such thing as a humane prison. As a famous adage goes, every system is perfectly designed to get the result that it does. Our prison system is not designed for rehabilitation, and it is not designed for justice. It is designed for dehumanization and punishment, and no amount of branding or around-the-edges reforms can change that fact. Our prisons and jails are good at creating cycles of trauma; they are not good at creating public safety or community well-being and stability.

With this in mind, we find it deeply misguided that Massachusetts is considering spending $50 million on a new women’s prison. As of January 1, 2022, the population in MCI-Framingham stood at 179, with more than 20% held in pre-trial detention. In part as a result of sentencing reforms, Massachusetts’s incarceration rate has been falling, which raises the question: Why expand a system that costs $235,000 per person and only causes further harm? 

Studies have repeatedly shown that society cannot incarcerate its way to safety, and the family separation of incarceration and the well-documented inhumane conditions in Massachusetts’s prisons and jails fuel the community instability that is detrimental to public safety. Instead, investments in housing, health care, economic opportunity, and other social supports have been shown to be the true foundation of public safety for all. Think of how much $235,000 per person can do in creating opportunity and building up communities.

The five-year moratorium in this bill recognizes that such alternative visions of public safety exist on the ground, and they merit investment and experimentation and scaling. It provides time for the Commonwealth to do the work of listening to the most impacted communities and to center, rather than sideline, their voices in policymaking.

We were very grateful last year when this committee and this Legislature passed the Prison Moratorium in last year’s session. Unfortunately, due to former Governor Charlie Baker’s veto, it did not become law. It is just as urgent to finish the job this session, and we urge you to advance these bills as swiftly as possible.

Sincerely,

Jonathan Cohn

Policy Director

Progressive Massachusetts

TUESDAY: Rally & Hearing for the Prison Moratorium

Massachusetts is planning to spend $50 million to build a new women’s prison to replace MCI-Framingham. As of January 1, 2022, the population in MCI-Framingham stood at 179, with more than 20% held in pre-trial detention. In part as a result of sentencing reforms, Massachusetts’s incarceration rate has been falling, which raises the question: Why expand a system that costs $235,000 per person and only causes further harm?

Studies have repeatedly shown that society cannot incarcerate its way to safety, and the family separation of incarceration and the well-documented inhumane conditions in Massachusetts’s prisons and jails fuel the community instability that is detrimental to public safety. Instead, investments in housing, health care, economic opportunity, and other social supports have been shown to be the true foundation of public safety for all.

It’s clear: Massachusetts doesn’t need new prisons, not now and not ever, and the Prison Moratorium bill (H. 1795 / S.1979) is how we can achieve that.

Next Tuesday, the Joint Committee on State Administration and Regulatory Oversight is holding a hearing on the Prison Moratorium bill at 11 am in Gardner Auditorium.

Can you show up on Tuesday and join Families for Justice as Healing for a rally before?

Not able to attend Tuesday’s hearing? You can still make a difference by contacting your state legislators in support.

Take Action: How to Support a Progressive Budget

In the FY 2024 budget, both the House and the Senate embraced the opportunity to include forward-thinking proposals that strengthen our commitment to equity, but, with differences between them, the work is not done.

In the coming weeks, a Conference Committee of three senators and three representatives will be finalizing the details for next year’s budget, and they need to hear from you in support of key provisions:

  • Tuition equity language, which would ensure that all MA high school graduates have access to in-state tuition at our Commonwealth’s public colleges and universities, regardless of immigration status, as 23 other states and DC provide
  • Permanent School Meals for All, which would ensure healthy nutrition for all students, increase educational performance, and support working families
  • No Cost Calls language, as outlined in the Keeping Families Connected/No Cost Calls Coalition’s letter, namely, making all communication services free in 2023, including a strong guarantee of access to calls, and laying out clear language to ensure successful implementation

Can you write to your senator and representative to ask them to fight for the inclusion of all three in the final FY2024 budget?

Mark Your Calendars🗓

State House Hearings This Week

If you are interested in testifying (written, in-person, or virtual) and have questions, just reach out!

Thursday, 6/22: Gun Violence Awareness Month Action at the Massachusetts State House @ 10am in front of the State House

The Mass Coalition to Prevent Gun Violence will be gathering on the steps of the State house with local and national partners including Stop Handgun Violence, Moms Demand Action, Giffords, and Brady, to honor June as Gun Violence Awareness month and to mark the anniversary of the Supreme Court’s Bruen decision. Join for a press conference featuring survivors, violence prevention workers, and others impacted by gun violence to address the impact of gun violence in the Commonwealth and call for continued action.

Sunday, 6/25: Progressive Mass Activist Afternoons Continues @ 3:30 PM

Join Progressive Mass for an Activist Afternoons series! We’ll be reaching out to members across the state to reach out to their legislators about key issues at the State House. On 6/25, we’ll be focusing on the Transfer Fee bill. RSVP here!

Tuesday, 6/27: Hearing at the State House for the Prison Moratorium Bill @ 11 am, Rally @ 10 am

Massachusetts does not need new prisons and jails: we need to be investing in communities, not in expanding the carceral system. So make sure that the Legislature hears loud and clear by showing up to support the Prison Moratorium in Gardner Auditorium on the State House and a rally before, RSVP here.

Thursday, 7/13: Common Start Rally at the State House

Please join the Common Start Coalition for a family-friendly rally at the State House on July 13 at 11:00 AM! As we head into the summer months, this is an incredible opportunity to keep up the momentum for high-quality, affordable, and accessible early education and care in Massachusetts.

Following a brief speaking program, children and their families will lead a march through the State House to demonstrate the power of our coalition and to highlight solutions to the child care crisis. Art and other activities for children will be a part of the event.

Common Start Family-Friendly Rally for Child Care

Time: Thursday, July 13 at 11:00 AM
Location: Grand Staircase, Massachusetts State House, Boston
Travel: There will be buses from across the state. More info to come.
Interpretation: There will be Spanish interpretation for the event.
Make sure to RSVP here: https://bit.ly/csrally7-13

We Already Know Mandatory Minimums Don’t Work

Prison

Friday, June 16, 2023

Chair Eldridge, Chair Day, and Members of the Joint Committee on the Judiciary:

My name is Jonathan Cohn, and I’m the policy director of Progressive Massachusetts, a statewide, member-based grassroots advocacy organization fighting for a more equitable, just, sustainable, and democratic Commonwealth. 

We urge you to give a favorable report to S.1051/H.1800: An Act restoring judicial discretion in controlled substance cases, filed by Sen. Liz Miranda and Rep. Erika Uyterhoeven.

In 2018, the Legislature took bold action to turn the tide on mass incarceration and address the disparities created by our criminal legal system; however, the Legislature also misguidedly decided to create new mandatory minimums for certain drug-related offenses.

The research about the flaws of mandatory minimums is well-known by the Legislature: that is why you eliminated many of them.

Mandatory minimum sentences do not deter crime: numerous studies have shown that increasing penalties is not a serious deterrent to criminal activity.

Mandatory minimum sentences do not reduce drug use or addiction: the Legislature chose to expand mandatory sentences for opioid-related offenses, but a real response to our opioid crisis would need to address the failures of our health care system and other service gaps.

Mandatory minimum sentences exacerbate racial inequities, as studies have shown that Black defendants are much more likely to be sentenced to crimes that carry mandatory minimum sentences.

Mandatory minimum sentences helped fuel the era of mass incarceration. We know that era failed, creating broken communities and broken people. We have taken steps to move past it, but we must go all the way.  

Sincerely, 

Jonathan Cohn

Policy Director

Progressive Massachusetts 

Let’s really value mothers on Mother’s Day

Happy Mother’s Day!

What would our Legislature be doing if it truly valued the work of mothers (and all parents)?

They would be strengthening our child care infrastructure with the Common Start bills so that all parents can access affordable child care.

They would be requiring health insurance plans to cover all pregnancy care without any kind of cost-sharing.

They would be addressing the stark racial disparities in maternal health outcomes in our Commonwealth.

They would be pausing the expansion of prison and jail construction because a new women’s prison would only continue cycles of family separation and trauma.

Can you write to your legislators about the importance of passing these policies this session?

Donate to #FreeBlackMamas National Bail Out

Our carceral system separates families and destabilizes community. We all have a role to play in changing the system.

Each year, the National Bail Out, a Black-led and Black-centered collective of abolitionist organizers, lawyers, and activists building a community-based movement to end systems of pretrial detention and ultimately mass incarceration, coordinates the Mama’s Day Bail Outs, where they bail out as many Black mothers and caregivers as they can so they can spend Mother’s Day with their families. Can you make a donation to their work in honor of Mother’s Day?

Thank you for all that you do to make Massachusetts a place where everyone can thrive.

In solidarity,

Melanie O’Malley
Outreach and Operations Director

A #FlashbackFriday about Disenfranchisement in MA and What You Can Do Today

Although we often think of the history of voting rights in the US as one of ever-forward motion, Massachusetts stands as an outlier. In the late 1990s, after incarcerated individuals in MCI-Norfolk started organizing for better conditions, Republican Governor Bill Cellucci and the MA Legislature responded with retaliation: a multi-step process of disenfranchisement. In 2000, Massachusetts voters approved a constitutional amendment to prohibit people incarcerated for felonies in state prison from voting in state elections; the subsequent year, Cellucci signed a law to extend this prohibition to federal and municipal elections. Our commonwealth did something rare in recent history: it took away the right to vote from a category of people who were formerly enfranchised.

But the tide is turning. On Wednesday, the Joint Committee on Election Laws took the significant step of giving a favorable report to S.8/H.26, constitutional amendments filed by Sen. Liz Miranda and Adam Gomez and Rep. Erika Uyterhoeven that would ensure that incarceration never leads to a loss of voting rights.

Urge your legislators to support the bill and advocate for its advancement in an upcoming constitutional convention.

And in upcoming events….

Wednesday, May 3: Higher Ed for All Speakout

Celebrate graduates and ensure that debt-free public higher ed is an option for future generations!

The Massachusetts State House will soon be considering the Cherish Act (S.816 / H.1260) and Debt-Free Bill (S.823 / H.1265). Collectively, these bills call for debt-free public higher education, increased student supports, better wages and working conditions, and green/healthy buildings.

Join the Higher Ed for All coalition on the State House steps and share your testimony alongside graduates, students, faculty, librarians, staff, and community from across the commonwealth!

  • 12:00-12:55 PM: Speak Out
  • 12:55 PM: Group Photo
Higher Ed for All

Thursday, May 4: Medicare for All Lobby Day

The Medicare for All Lobby Day will take place on Thursday, May 4, from 10AM to 3PM at the State House. RSVP here to let Mass-Care know you can join!

Three Quick Actions to Take This Weekend

Here are three quick actions that you can take this weekend.

Ask of Gov. Healey: Pause New Gas Infrastructure

Happy Earth Day! The science has long been clear: we need to rapidly transition away from fossil fuels and toward renewable energy. If we know that there can be no long-term future for fossil fuel infrastructure, then we need to stop expanding it and creating a lock-in effect for decades to come, with negative health and environmental impacts on surrounding communities.

Governor Healey has spoken of climate as a top priority, so she should show that commitment by pledging to halt new gas system expansions until the state has a concrete plan for a just transition to a clean — and green — energy future.

Can you join Mass Power Forward in calling on her to do so?

Ask of Your State Senator: Protect Fair Share

The tax plans proposed by the Governor and the House include hundreds of millions of dollars in unnecessary giveaways to the ultra-rich and large corporations.

House Tax Proposal vs. Fair Share

But the Senate can take a different path.

Call your State Senator and ask them to:

✅ REJECT the proposed cut to the short-term capital gains tax that would overwhelmingly benefit wealthy investors;
✅REJECT expanding the ‘single sales factor apportionment’ that would give a massive tax break to large, profitable multi-state corporations;
✅TARGET any estate tax reform exclusively to moderate estates, with no tax breaks to large multi-million-dollar estates; AND
✅USE THOSE SAVINGS to invest in affordable housing, childcare, and reliable transportation.

Don’t know your State Senator’s phone number? Find it here, and then save it in your phone for next time.

And then after you make that call, can you follow up with an email?

And if you’re free this upcoming week, sign up for a phone bank with Raise Up Mass so that we can drive more calls to legislators:

  • Tuesday, April 25, 4 pm to 7 pm
  • Wednesday, April 26, 4 pm to 7 pm
  • Thursday, April 27, 4 pm to 7 pm

Ask of Your State Rep: Support No Cost Calls

The good news is that the MA House included No Cost Calls language — that is, ending the predatory practice of prisons and jails charging incarcerated individuals for phone calls to loved ones — in its FY2024 budget proposal.

However, there are additional steps necessary to strengthen the guarantee of access to such free phone calls. Rep. Chynah Tyler filed an amendment to the budget (Amendment #1559) to do just that, ensuring a stronger baseline of access (i.e., including access to tablets and setting a minimum guarantee for call time).

Can you call your state rep to ask them to support Amendment #1559 to the House budget?

Keeping Families Together: No Cost Calls. Rep Chynah Tyler, Amdt #1559

In solidarity,