EPOCA

Public Safety Campaign

One of our top priorities is to pass the Public Safety Act (H.1416), which will reform the system of “Criminal Offender Record Information” or “CORI” in Massachusetts. We are leading members of the Massachusetts Alliance to Reform CORI (MARC) and the Criminal Justice Policy Coalition (CJPC), and we believe that together we will win landmark improvements in the system this year.

First, the Act will limit the information accessible by landlords and employers to conviction data. Many people are punished with the denial of housing and jobs for crimes they were charged with but did not commit. Moreover, people of color are disproportionately arrested and charged with crimes they did not commit, and are then further “profiled” down the road when employers read charges on the CORI that have been thrown out or proven false.

Second, the Act will dramatically reduce the time it takes before one's record is sealed from public view. Currently, it takes 15 years after parole to seal the record of a felony, and 10 years after a misdemeanor. Under the Public Safety Act, it would take only 7 years for a felony and 3 for a misdemeanor. This reform will bring enormous relief to tens of thousands of Massachusetts residents and their families.

The third major provision we are working for would make it illegal to discriminate against someone simply for having a criminal record, and require employers to consider the relevance of the charge to the job. This would ban the blanket no-hire policy that most employers now follow, thereby creating opportunities during the crucial first years after punishment. Governor Deval Patrick has recently enacted such provisions for all state agencies. We need private employers to follow these basic fair-hiring guidelines as well.

Our goal is not just to reform CORI, but to change the way people with criminal records are treated by society as a whole. By putting ourselves forward as examples, our members educate and inspire everyone we touch. In our hundreds of meetings at colleges, churches, recovery programs, legislators’ offices, and businesses, we break down the assumptions underlying the failed “tough on crime” policies of the last three decades.

Here are some of the types of actions we organize:

* Leadership workshops and trainings on public speaking, the legislative process, one-to-one relationship-building meetings, and organizing strategy.
* Conducting radio, newspaper, and television interviews.
* Large CORI education events around Massachusetts
* Legislative Breakfasts to inform public officials about the need for CORI reform
* Mobilizing hundreds of members and allies for public hearings and rallies
* Visits by our members with State Representatives and Senators throughout Central and Western Massachusetts, and the North Shore.
* Hitting the streets, turning out hundreds of phone calls and letters to legislators.
* Meetings to bring other powerful allies into the CORI reform struggle.
* “Skill-shares” with other members of our coalition, to share successful tactics.
* Constant recruiting through visits to recovery programs, jails, churches, and unions.