Hi my name is . I am a constituent of Representative (or Senator). I am calling because I support juvenile justice reforms that would address racial disparities in our justice system, help young people succeed and reduce recidivism. I specifically ask that you support:

House Bill 3420 and Senate Bill 825 will reduce crime in our communities by gradually raising the age of criminal majority so that 18-to 20-year-olds are in a more developmentally appropriate, and more effective, juvenile justice system and out of the adult criminal justice system. The juvenile system currently has the processes and the interventions that result in better public safety outcomes for youth with more serious offending than those in the adult criminal legal system. Proposals that would exclude youth with serious offenses from accessing these rehabilitative services would be a missed opportunity to realize the positive public safety outcomes our state could achieve. The bill is in the Judiciary committee.
Urge leadership to report out House Bill 2141 and Senate Bill 1386 favorably from their respective Ways and Means Committees. Massachusetts has one of the worst racial disparities in the juvenile system in the country. Black youth in Massachusetts are more likely to be incarcerated for the same offending behavior as their white counterparts, up to 2.55 times in some counties. For too long, our legal system hides its response to children and youth by not reporting race and ethnicity data at major decision points to allow us to see disparities where they occur and to identify policies or practices to reduce these disparities. We don’t solve institutional racism by making the racial impact of the legal system’s decisions invisible.
Contact the Policing Reform Conference Committee to include expanding Expungement eligibility as proposed in the Senate bill. There is overwhelming evidence that racial disparities against Black individuals at every stage of the legal system – from policing and profiling, court proceedings to sentencing and every stage in between. Expungement is an important tool to rectify the over-policing and disparate treatment of people of color. The Senate bill proposes (1) all non-convictions are eligible for expungement and (2) change the limitation on the number of cases on a record, to length of time since last conviction (3 years for misdemeanors and years for felonies). (Sections 59, 60, 61, 72 in the Senate policing bill).
Ask the Policing Reform Conference Committee to also support increased transparency in and protections for students from policing in schools. Massachusetts law imposes that all school districts assign school resource officers, without input from the local community. Students, parents, teachers and community members deserve a voice in policing decisions in their schools. Students should also be free to learn without the constant fear of having their background (race, ethnicity, or immigration status) weaponized against them. (Sections 49, 50, 51 in the Senate policing bill).

Thank you and I look forward to hearing back from you about these bills.

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