SENATE DOCKET, NO. 1710        FILED ON: 2/18/2021

SENATE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 1564

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

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PRESENTED BY:

Cynthia Stone Creem

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To the Honorable Senate and House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in General
Court assembled:

The undersigned legislators and/or citizens respectfully petition for the adoption of the accompanying bill:

An Act relative to education and programming for the incarcerated.

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PETITION OF:

SENATE DOCKET, NO. 1710        FILED ON: 2/18/2021

SENATE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 1564

[SIMILAR MATTER FILED IN PREVIOUS SESSION
SEE SENATE, NO. 1391 OF 2019-2020.]

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

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In the One Hundred and Ninety-Second General Court
(2021-2022)

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An Act relative to education and programming for the incarcerated.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:
 

SECTION 1. Chapter 127, as appearing in section 80 of chapter 69 of the acts of 2018, of the General Laws is hereby amended by inserting the following new section immediately after section 48B:-

Section 48C: The commissioner and administrators of state prisons and county facilities shall maximize out of cell time and opportunities for prisoner participation in education, training, employment, and all other programming including programming related to rehabilitation, health care and substance use. All prisoners shall have the opportunity to access at least one hour of programming daily at least five days a week. Except for restrictive housing and security or operational emergencies, no prisoner shall be locked into a cell for more than 16 hours daily.

SECTION 2. Section 48 of Chapter 127, as appearing in section 80 of chapter 69 of the acts of 2018, is hereby amended by striking the second paragraph and inserting in place thereof the following:- The commissioner shall ensure that at least 1 educational program leading to the award of a high school equivalency certificate is available to persons who are committed to the custody of the department or to a county correctional facility and who have not obtained a high school degree or equivalency. In addition to each such facility providing at least one general high school equivalency (GED) class, each facility shall also include specialized, age-appropriate educational classes for emerging adults, including all individuals ages 18 thru 25, for both individuals who have and have not obtained a high school degree or equivalency, including but not limited to high school equivalency and college readiness or workforce readiness classes. All emerging adults shall have the opportunity to access at least two hours of programming daily at least five days a week.