My newest on the Massachusetts Parole Board on Boston Institute for Nonprofit Journalism It asks “The Massachusetts Parole Board still faces big challenges despite making some improvements this past year. Its final member was approved this week, but is the body equipped to operate efficiently?” MORE
Please check out this incredible interview that my editor at Boston Institute for Nonprofit Journalism did with me here. Entitled, Prison journalist and writer Jean Trounstine explores unspoken pain around incarceration with new collection of short stories
It begins: “When it comes to writing about prison and parole, there are very few reporters who have as many sources among advocates or the incarcerated population as Jean Trounstine. I would know; as her editor at the Boston Institute for Nonprofit Journalism for the past several years, I have been floored by her ability to unearth major scoops on the strength of those connections.
Jean is also an accomplished educator, activist, and author who has directed stage plays and published multiple books touching carceral topics, among them Shakespeare Behind Bars: The Power of Drama in a Women’s Prison. So with those noted contacts and that much experience, it surprised me to learn that she chose fiction as her next vehicle for impugning the US prison system and its “devastating impact on our communities in Massachusetts and beyond.”
The resulting work is Motherlove, in which Jean compassionately considers an ‘often-forgotten group—the mothers of children who kill, each struggling with the aftermath of murder.’ As she explains it, while fictional, each of the 10 characters is ‘drawn from her more than 30 years of experience with prisoners and their families.’” MORE
Please share my newest for #Massachusetts on our #criminallegalsystem on Commonwealth/Beacon
“It’s a marathon to earn parole… To assure that those leaving prison have the best possible opportunity for success and to ensure safety for all, our Parole Board should not be limping along.” MORE
Angelia Jefferson at a Deeper Than Water Ralley at the Statehouse on Jan. 6, 2024.. photo by Dan Atkinson. Formerly incarcerated, Angie now works for Families as Justice For Healing.
Please see & share my co-authored article (with Dan Atkinson) on BINJ/ Horizon Mass & learn more about disastrous prison health care system in Mass. WELLPATH–their contract doesn’t need to be renewed!. HERE.
Formerly incarcerated Mac Hudson, now of Prisoners’ Legal Services, speaks at a rally to end harsh sentencing at the Massachusetts State House on Sept. 20 | Image via PLSPlease see my newest article about Second Look legislation and the rallyt and ghearing that were held in Massachusetts recently here. The idea: “Massachusetts lawmakers are considering legislation that would reexamine harsh and mandatory prison sentences. The policy, which follows national trends, could have a significant impact on more than 1,800 people behind bars and their families.” Keep reading!