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Advocates Urge Parole Overhaul, Saying Massachusetts System Is Outdated and Opaque
Summary
Claire Massington of the Mental Health Legal Advisors Committee testified in favor of H2694 to reform Massachusetts parole practices, urging expanded board membership, a presumption of parole unless clear and convincing evidence indicates otherwise, and greater transparency and lived-experience representation on the parole board.
Claire Massington of the Mental Health Legal Advisors Committee told the Joint Committee on Public Safety and Homeland Security that Massachusetts' parole system is outdated, opaque and inconsistent, and she urged passage of H2694, the Equitable Access to Parole bill.
Massington, who does litigation and policy work involving prisons and parole, said Massachusetts received an "F" in a 50‑state parole survey and that the current process does not reflect best practices. H2694 would expand the parole board, require professional composition (including clinicians and someone with lived experience), switch the burden of proof so parole is presumed unless the board shows by clear and convincing evidence why release is inappropriate, and increase transparency in parole decisions, she said. Massington described the changes as "best practices" and said the reforms are essentially cost-neutral aside from board salaries.
Massington said the bill addresses the "back end" of incarceration by improving community supervision and parole processes that affect large numbers of people on supervision. She said litigation is currently used to correct systemic problems, and argued reform would be a preferable front-end fix. The committee adjourned shortly after her remarks; no vote occurred on H2694 during the hearing.
