Criminal Justice Reform Caucus Letter in Support of House Moratorium Language
Dear members of the Bond Bill Conference Committee,
Thank you for working to reconcile H.4807 and S.2951, the House and Senate versions of the General Government Bond Bill. As co-chairs of the Criminal Justice Reform Caucus, we are writing in support of Section 3 of H.4807, and recommend it be included in the final version of the bill.
Massachusetts has the lowest incarcerated population rate in the country. The amount of incarcerated individuals in the Commonwealth has declined 20.4% from 2014-2019, yet the per-person cost to incarcerate women at institutions such as MCI Framingham has skyrocketed. In 2014, the average annual cost was $60,000 per woman at Framingham. Today, the average annual cost is over $160,000, and we can presume this number will continue to rise.
Because of the rapidly decreasing incarceration rates and the drastically increasing costs, we as a legislature must exercise reasonable oversight over the DOC to ensure that the fiscal benefits of decreased incarceration are fully realized. As such, and in order to create a better future for all Commonwealth residents for decades and centuries to come, it is imperative that we operate as though incarceration is not our sole option.
This oversight is especially critical now, given the recently released report from the Ripples Group, contracted by the DOC, which recommends the construction of a new “rehabilitation center” for women in Massachusetts. Regardless of what this new facility is labeled, if its purpose is incarceration, it is a prison. The recommendations from this report allow the study and design of such a new prison to begin. Given the scope of the study and the design contract – which includes potential renovation of an existing prison and/or new construction – the language in the Senate version of the bond bill would enable the DOC to act on the report’s recommendations and spend millions on a renovated prison for women in Massachusetts.
Therefore, we believe the House language is preferable for three reasons. First, because the Senate language only restricts expansion, conversion, and renovation relative to the overall aggregate capacity of the DOC, it would not have an effect on county correctional facilities. Thousands of people are incarcerated in county jails and houses of corrections across the state, so restrictions must also apply to these facilities.
Second, the Senate language allows the DOC to expand, convert, and renovate existing prisons as long as such actions do not result in an increase in the net aggregate capacity of the DOC as of July 1, 2022. Because this date falls before the anticipated closure of two prisons, the Senate baseline does not recognize the reduction in the number of beds anticipated after July 1, 2022.
Lastly, the House language precludes the DOC from exploring the possibility of new facilities. Given the multitude of past studies, new studies would be costly and would not add any value.
As co-chairs of the Criminal Justice Reform Caucus, we strongly urge you to adopt the House language specified above in the final conference committee report. This letter is also attached as a PDF for your review.
Sincerely,
Jamie Eldridge
State Senator
Middlesex and Worcester District
Mary S. Keefe
State Representative
15th Worcester District