Tag Archives: Parole Board

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” 

Click to continue with my newest at BINJ

 

Why is the Parole Board on the Governor’s Back Burner?

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Please read and share my newest which shows how little attention states are paying to

         When we asked “Why is the Parole Board on the Governor’s Back Burner?” here’s what we found.  Prisoner rights advocates say outgoing Chair Tina Hurley was dedicated and effective. So why is she leaving and who will replace her? MORE

 

AFTER MATTIS—CHECK OUT THIS HISTORIC PAROLE HEARING

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Pictured: Alfred Therrien and his attorney John J. Barter in front of the Mass. Parole Board in Natick

Please see and share my newest article on the first Mattis parole hearing after the historic ruling by the Supreme Judicial Court in Mass to stop anyone under age 21 from serving LWOP, i.e. life without parole. HERE. It begins

“On July 16, Alfred Therrien appeared with his attorney John J. Barter before the Parole Board and became the first person in Massachusetts to seek parole as a “Mattis case.”

Commonwealth v Mattis, the monumental ruling rendered by the Supreme Judicial Court (SJC) this past January, held that life without parole is now a violation of the Massachusetts constitution for those under the age of 21. The decision underscores the importance of developing-brain science, with the judge finding that, “in terms of impulse control, emerging adults are more similar to sixteen and seventeen-year-old juveniles than to older adults. That is, they are less able to control their impulses in emotionally arousing situations.”

Therrien, who committed his crime between the ages of 18 and 20, was the first to be granted a parole hearing because of this recent ruling. He had previously been sentenced to life without parole (LWOP), also known as ‘the other death penalty.'” MORE

GRADING THE PAROLE BOARD

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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