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May 22

Image of a police car with its lights flashing against a coastal town landscape representing the arrests called into question through the state's drug testing scandal

Massachusetts Teen Charged With Stealing Holocaust Memorial From Cemetery

Police arrested a Massachusetts teen for stealing part of a Holocaust memorial sculpture from a cemetery in Milton, MA. The unnamed suspect is awaiting a hearing on larceny and vandalism charges. The Incident The 19-year-old arrested man—who remains unnamed because he was a minor when the theft occurred in September... read more →

May 07

Massachusetts Prisons Not Providing Addiction Medications And Facing a Potential Lawsuit

Currently, Massachusetts state prisons refuse to provide addiction medications to inmates, even those who are involuntarily committed to be treated for drug addiction. People advocating on behalf of those incarcerated claim that the prisons are violating the federal Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) by failing to provide medication to those... read more →

Apr 21

Massachusetts Passes Sweeping Overhaul of Criminal Justice Procedures

Massachusetts is ready to revamp the criminal justice system. In a previous post, we discussed how state legislators were proposing a sweeping bill that would focus more on rehabilitation than on punishment. On April 4, 2018, the compromised bill, written by a House-Senate conference committee, was approved 37-0 in the Senate... read more →

Apr 07

Massachusetts Judge Dismisses Over 7,000 Cases Tainted by Drug Chemist

The saga of the Massachusetts drug-testing scandal lives on. While we have written about this topic several times (first here, then here, and, most recently, here), an April 5, 2018 ruling ordered the dismissal of 7,690 drug cases that were tainted by former forensic chemist Sonja Farak. This decision is only the latest... read more →

Mar 20

Conceptual image of a gavel made of pills.

Massachusetts State Courthouses Prohibit Use of Fentanyl as Evidence

As of January 8, 2018, state courthouses in Massachusetts no longer permit the presence of fentanyl and carfentanil, even for use as evidence. These synthetic opioids have contributed to a nationwide health epidemic, and their extreme potency has led chief justices to take further precautions to minimize any exposure to... read more →

Mar 07

Image of a man in cuffs being placed in a police car after being arrested for drug and weapon charges.

Massachusetts Man Arrested On Drug & Weapon Charges

During the early hours of February 19, 2018, a Massachusetts resident was pulled over by a state trooper and arrested for drug possession and illegally carrying a handgun with a defaced serial number. Scott E. Spinney, 28, who faces nine drug- and weapon-related charges, is now facing an upcoming trial. The Incident... read more →

Feb 21

Image of a prosecutor making a deal, marking Massachusetts criminal justice reform.

Major Criminal Justice Reform Legislation Underway in Massachusetts

The last several months have seen tremendous efforts made by both the Senate and the House to bring change to Massachusetts’ criminal justice system. Proposed amendments to existing laws include eliminating mandatory minimum sentences for nonviolent drug crimes, repealing certain drug-related crimes (including being in the presence of heroin), and... read more →

Feb 07

Image of a man walking outside of a jail, due to the fact that Massachusetts holds the second-lowest incarceration rate in the U.S.

Massachusetts Holds Second-Lowest Incarceration Rate in U.S.

The Bureau of Justice Statistics recently released new data detailing incarceration rates around the United States. According to this data, current through 2016, Massachusetts had the second-lowest rate of incarcerations (behind Maine). Prosecution policies vary from state to state, producing a significant discrepancy in the rate of incarcerations around the country. A... read more →

Jan 21

Image of marijuana, representing the new changes in Massachusetts' marijuana prosecution policy.

New MA U.S. Attorney Reveals State Marijuana Prosecution Policy

In light of U.S Attorney General Jeff Session's recently-reported pledge to roll back Obama-era policies around state-regulated marijuana prosecution, Massachusetts' new U.S. Attorney Andrew Lelling has revealed how he and his office plan to approach cannabis crimes. Let's take a closer look at what you can expect going forth. Previous... read more →

Jan 07

Image of an inmate's cuffs being released after over 6,000 cases tainted by drug scandal in Massachusetts are dismissed.

Update: Over 6,000 Cases To Be Dismissed in MA Drug Scandal

As we're sure you remember, the Massachusetts state criminal justice system has been wracked with turmoil in the wake of a statewide drug-testing scandal. As we've written about before (and then again), thousands of cases are in limbo following the discovery of two separate lab testing workers employed by the state admitted to... read more →

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