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Advocates press committee to treat relapse as a health issue, not a probation violation
Joint Committee on the Judiciary (Massachusetts Legislature) · November 18, 2025
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Summary
Doctors, public defenders and recovery organizations urged the committee to pass H1913/S1117 so courts prioritize treatment over jail when relapse is the only probation violation; they argued incarceration increases overdose risk and disrupts recovery.
A large coalition of clinicians, public-health groups and defense attorneys urged passage of H1913/S1117 (treatment, not incarceration) during the hearing. Witnesses from Boston Medical Center, the ACLU, Massachusetts Organization for Addiction Recovery (MOAR) and public defenders described cases in…
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