Massachusetts is often seen as a progressive state because of its leading role in many important movements, such as women’s rights and marriage equality. Today, however, its prisons are some of the most racially disparate in the country. This problem raises the question: how can a state known for being progressive have such an unequal criminal legal system?
Socioeconomic factors play a big role in creating these disparities. Neighborhoods with higher concentrations of people of color experience higher rates of poverty and unemployment, and, consequently, increased crime and policing, leading to more arrests than in mostly white neighborhoods. Negative stereotypes further aggravate how law enforcement treats residents. Finally, communities with a higher percentage of people of color typically have limited access to quality education, healthcare, and social services. This lack of resources makes navigating the legal system even harder for residents. All these factors create a cycle of disadvantage that impacts many people living in these neighborhoods. According to The Sentencing Project,
Massachusetts ranks first among all states in relative rate of Latinx incarceration, and 13th among Black individuals.
Moreover, prison reform efforts have unintentionally exacerbated racial disparities within the legal system. In April 2018, Governor Charlie Baker signed a bill into law aimed at creating a more equitable system. Among its many provisions, the law eliminated mandatory and statutory minimum sentences for many low-level, non-violent drug offenses. It also granted judges more pretrial alternatives to incarceration, as well as greater discretion in setting lower bail amounts for defendants of fewer means. As a result of these changes, Massachusetts has seen a significant drop in its incarceration rate. However, the six years since have also seen a worsened racial disparities in the legal system. According to Boston public radio station WGBH, from 2019 to 2023, the number of white individuals charged with crimes decreased by 26 percent, while the decrease was only 12 percent for Black individuals and just 1 percent for Latino individuals. Even though the overall number of people going to prison has decreased, the benefits of these changes have disproportionately helped white individuals, leaving Black and Latino communities with minimal improvement, thus widening racial disparities.
As disheartening as these facts are, it is important to remember that there are ways to address the problems in the legal system. History teacher Stephanie Manzella emphasizes the importance of becoming aware of the contributing factors that aggravate inequities in the criminal legal system, like the racial wealth gap. Head of School Henry Fairfax agrees, believing raising awareness of the problem to be a crucial first step, and that a crucial purpose of private education at schools like CA is to promote understanding and appreciation of larger social issues. Fairfax believes that the second step involves getting proximate to the stakeholders of the issue and then constructively engaging others, a process already being practiced at CA by the Prison Justice Project (PJP).
Lyla Brooks, a co-head of PJP, shares some events the club has organized to confront injustice and highlight marginalized voices. This includes a 5K fundraiser to raise awareness around wrongful convictions and an inmate art show. On October 18, CA hosted its fourth annual Wrongful Conviction Day assembly, which the PJP organized. Two wrongfully committed men from Massachusetts, Sean Ellis and Stephen Pina, shared their stories about the racial biases that led to their unfair trials and eventual twenty-year sentences in prison for crimes they did not commit. Their wrongful convictions reminded the community that racial disparities in our legal system affect real people. Pina said, “If you were in our shoes, you would also see this as an epidemic.” Just like an epidemic, the problem of racial disparity in the Massachusetts criminal legal system impacts communities and society as a whole, requiring collective action to create meaningful change.