Bill
S 1702
A special commission is created to study expanding sentencing in county Houses of Correction from 2.5 to up to 10 years, assessing impacts and remedies.
Status snapshot
- Bill type: Resolve (Massachusetts) to create a study commission
- Primary author (in text): Senator Dylan A. Fernandes
- Filed in Senate: January 17, 2025 (Senate Docket No. 2146). Legislative action records included with the file show several committee referrals and hearing dates; some metadata in the package appears inconsistent (see note below).
- Current procedural requirement (per bill text): commission must file a report within one year of its first meeting.
Note on metadata: The header information supplied with the request (title about “mobility dealers,” sponsors such as U.S. Senators, and varying committee referrals) conflicts with the bill text. This summary focuses only on the actual bill text provided, which establishes a commission to study expanding Houses of Correction sentencing jurisdiction.
Purpose and intent
- The resolve directs a special commission to study whether Massachusetts should expand the statutory maximum sentence length that can be served in county Houses of Correction (currently up to 2.5 years) to allow sheriffs to house inmates sentenced up to 10 years.
- The study aims to evaluate feasibility, public safety implications, fiscal/operational effects, and potential rehabilitation/community benefits of such an expansion.
Key provisions
- Establishes a special commission charged with studying the issue and making recommendations.
- Composition (selected members): co-chairs from the House and Senate; House and Senate minority members; Secretary of Public Safety (or designee); Commissioner of the Department of Correction (or designee); three county sheriffs (appointed by the Sheriffs’ Association); representatives from Committee for Public Counsel Services and the Massachusetts Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers; two judges (appointed by the Chief Justice); two District Attorneys (appointed by the District Attorneys Association); and two public members with sentencing expertise (appointed by the Attorney General).
- Duties include: reviewing current sentencing statutes and alignment with Houses of Correction capacity and programs; assessing fiscal, operational, and public safety impacts; evaluating rehabilitation, family connection, and community-programming benefits for longer sentences; soliciting stakeholder input (victims’ advocates, legal professionals, corrections staff, community organizations); reviewing other states’ practices; and considering the DOC-to-House of Correction step-down system.
- Report requirement: commission must file findings and legislative/regulatory recommendations with the Legislature and Governor no later than one year after its first meeting.
- Funding: to be provided through existing appropriations to the Executive Office of Public Safety and Security, with additional funds to be allocated as necessary through the state budget.
- Effective date: takes effect immediately upon passage.
Who would be affected
- County sheriffs and Houses of Correction (operational responsibility, housing, programming).
- Department of Correction (coordination on step-downs and transfers).
- Incarcerated individuals and their families (potential changes to placement, proximity, and access to local programs).
- Local communities and programs (potential expansion of community-based rehabilitation).
- State and county budgets (potential fiscal impacts from capacity, staffing, programming, and facility needs).
- Courts, prosecutors, defense counsel, and victims (policy impacts on sentencing outcomes and victim services).
Potential impacts and issues the commission would examine
- Fiscal: costs or savings from housing longer-sentenced inmates locally (staffing, facility upgrades, programming).
- Operational: capacity, security classification, medical and mental-health services, and staff training.
- Public safety: community risk assessment and recidivism implications.
- Rehabilitation and reentry: whether local programming and family proximity improve outcomes.
- Legal/administrative: necessary statutory or regulatory changes; coordination between DOC and county sheriffs; equitable access across counties.
Timeline
- Commission convenes after enactment; report due within one year of first meeting. Funding via existing EO Public Safety appropriations, supplemented in the state budget if necessary.
For readers wanting next steps
- Watch for committee hearings and the commission’s report (to be filed with the Legislature and Governor). Any proposed statutory changes would require separate legislation following the commission’s recommendations.
Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.
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