Author Archives: Jean

Correcting The Record: Parole Rates in Massachusetts are NOT rising. 

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Pictured: Parole Board Counsel Judith Lyons and Chair Angelo Gomez, Jr. speak to Special Commission on Correctional Consolidation and Collaboration on Beacon Hill on Feb. 9, 2026 | Photo via recording of public hearing

Correcting The Record: Mass Parole Rates For Lifers Are Not Rising
State officials and news outlets recently reported that parole rates are on the rise, but data reveals that for Massachusetts lifers, the numbers are actually trending downward under new leadership—amidst mounting delays and stalled clemency petitions  MORE
 

Massachusetts Parole Needs Attention NOW!

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Please read and share widely! —Parole In Massachusetts: Ignored, Misunderstood, And Misrepresented  “How executive indifference, an overburdened board, and a sensationalist media are failing the promise of parole in the commonwealth” 

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Prison Brought Us Together, But Friendship Survives

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This holiday season, longtime BINJ prison reporter Jean Trounstine reflects on the work that cleared her path to journalism.  

I first met Angie Jefferson in prison in 1992.

In 2024, there she was with two other friends, standing on my doorstep in Tewksbury.

Angie had come to my college acting class at Framingham MCI via Bertie, a Jamaican beauty shunned by others because she killed her daughter. Hurting a child is anathema to women behind bars; and while we know now it was likely post-partum depression, Bertie was deemed irredeemable. She sought refuge with nurturing women who didn’t judge, women like Angie. MORE IN BINJ

Beyond Boston: Fighting Poverty And Prison With College In Worcester

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Please read and share my newest in BINJ about this new fantastic higher-ed program that is in Worcester, MA–it offers an array of perks and classes that “fight poverty and prison and begins with this subtitle:” “Inside Clark University’s program to leverage education’s proven power to cut recidivism.” MORE