Massachusetts FAMM legislative update
Spring 2008
This alert is to update you on sentencing news and the recent activities of Families Against Mandatory Minimums (FAMM) in Massachusetts. As you may have heard, Sen. Cynthia Creem's bill on parole eligibility (S. 884), which would allow those serving mandatory minimum drug sentences to be eligible for parole after serving two-thirds of their sentence, was not favorably reported out of the Judiciary Committee. Instead, it was sent to a "study" along with most of the Judiciary Committee's bills. Bills sent to a study are effectively dead for the session. While this is disappointing, it does not foreclose sentencing reform this session.
By summer we expect introduction of a criminal justice bill that will include some proposed changes to CORI (criminal records) and to mandatory minimum drug sentences. The Judiciary Committee is responsible for drafting criminal justice bills, including those that deal with sentencing. The committee can redraft any bill to use as a vehicle to change current drug mandatory minimums. It is possible that a criminal justice bill introduced this spring would include language similar to the early parole eligibility language in S. 884.
The real question is just how much reform of mandatory minimums will be supported by the legislature this session. Prosecutors still oppose the repeal of these laws. But don't forget that this is a new era! This legislative session, which runs through July 31, and the next, which begins in January 2009, are different from the past. We are now working in an environment where the Governor, the Speaker of the House, and the Senate President have all publicly declared that the current mandatory minimum system is broken and needs to be fixed.
FAMM couldn't agree more. That is why we are working so hard to help Massachusetts lawmakers do the right thing. You can also show there is support for sentencing reform in our state. To send an email or letter on sentencing reform to the Governor and your legislators, click here to use FAMM's action center.
FAMM's legislative goals
With your help and support, we continue to fight for meaningful reform of mandatory minimums drug sentences in Massachusetts. Our legislative priorities:
To prevent future injustice:
- Repeal all mandatory minimum sentences for drug offenses.
- Repeal drug-free zone laws.
To provide justice to those currently serving mandatory minimum sentences:
- Provide parole eligibility.
- Provide eligibility for work release and other reentry programs.
Making our priorities become realities
We've been very busy already this year. Recent activities include:
- A productive meeting with Kevin M. Burke, Secretary of the Executive Office of Public Safety and Security (EOPSS), and his top staff.
- Submitting testimony opposing several bills that would add new mandatory minimums, increase the length of existing ones, and create more drug-free zones.
- Meeting with key legislators to enlist their support for FAMM's goals.
- Speaking on a panel at the State House for the National Association of Social Workers' legislative action day. The panel also included Mary Beth Heffernan, EOPSS Undersecretary of Criminal Justice.
- Meeting with community groups to introduce them to FAMM.
- Revising our informational leaflet and our request for case summaries. For a copy of either one, please contact FAMM at bdougan@famm.org or (617) 543-0878.
Help organize FAMM meetings in Massachusetts
Help FAMM determine the location for our upcoming membership meetings! At the end of April we will decide where our meetings will be held based on who contacts us. These meetings will offer you the opportunity to learn more about FAMM’s goals in Massachusetts; meet others affected by mandatory minimums; and receive answers to your questions or concerns about the legislative process. Please contact Barb Dougan at (617) 543-0878 or bdougan@famm.org, and let her know you want a meeting in your community.
FAMM needs state cases
Are or someone you know serving a state mandatory minimum sentence in Massachusetts for drugs or a drug-free zone violation? Please contact Barb Dougan and request a case summary form. Although FAMM cannot profile every person who contacts us, we will carefully read the information you send and we may ask you for more information if the case helps illustrate the injustices of mandatory sentences. To request a case summary form, call (617) 543-0878, email bdougan@famm.org or write P.O. Box 57, Newton, MA 02468.
Contact FAMM in Massachusetts
Help build FAMM's membership in Massachusetts by forwarding this alert to family and friends. Encourage them to sign up to receive news from FAMM by visiting www.famm.org. If you have questions or concerns, please call Barbara Dougan at (617) 543-0878 or email at bdougan@famm.org. We need your help to build the movement that will finally bring sentencing reform to Massachusetts!