On August 20, 2020, CPCS and MACDL submitted an amicus brief to the SJC in Commonwealth v. Dinkins, the parole board’s regulation which makes it so people serving life sentences are “paroled” to any consecutive sentence, rather than having their parole eligibility periods aggregated to one date on which they have a true parole hearing that might actually result in their release into the community. When the […]
Bail is not a form of punishment. It is set in almost every case to ensure that those charged with a crime return to court during the lengthy period that it may take for the case to resolve. If bail is set in an amount the person can’t afford, he or she will be held in jail without any conviction. In other words, based solely on probable cause to […]
We have received numerous calls and emails from members who are understandably distressed by the Phase 3 reopening of the state courts, which includes mandatory, in-person appearances for non-emergency hearings such as summons arraignments. In response, MACDL’s Board addressed a letter to Chief Justice Gants and Chief Justice Carey citing our concerns, along with the following proposals:
MACDL urges its members to oppose ABA Resolution 114, which calls on state legislatures to use an affirmative consent standard for sexual assault cases. The proposed standard will unconstitutionally shift the burden of proof to defendants facing extremely serious charges. MACDL has called upon the Massachusetts representatives to the ABA House of Delegates to oppose the resolution; our letter regarding the resolution is below. A listing of all […]
Dear MACDL Members, Colleagues and Friends,
Thanks to MACDL and other community groups, our Governor’s Councillors have been flooded with calls and emails in the past few days! During the hearing on Wednesday, many Councillors referred to their many constituents who have been voicing […]
On April 11, the House Committee on Ways & Means released its budget recommendations for the next fiscal year, FY 2019. The House budget provides for an increase in appropriation for private counsel compensation, increasing the rate of compensation for Superior Court cases from $60 to $68 per hour and for Mental Health cases from $50 to $53 per hour.
While we are pleased to see the […]
Your IMMEDIATE help is needed! The Massachusetts Legislature is currently considering House Bill 751 increasing the rate of pay for their bar advocates. Sponsored by Rep Cronin of Easton, House Bill 751 proposes:
The rates of compensation payable to all counsel, who are appointed or assigned to represent indigents within the private counsel division of the committee in accordance with the provisions of paragraph (b) of section 6, shall, subject […]