Mass. DOC, DOJ reach agreement on mental health reform

Massachusetts prisoners with behavioral health problems will receive heightened levels of care while in custody of the state Department of Corrections (DOC), under an agreement reached between DOC and the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ).
The DOJ’s Civil Rights Division published Investigation of the Massachusetts Department of Corrections on November 17, 2020, in conjunction with the Massachusetts U.S. Attorney’s Office. The report advises that its findings indicate that the practices it found interfered with prisoners’ rights under the Eighth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.
The DOC released its detailed response to the DOJ report on December 20, 2020. It includes: policies and procedures for supervision of prisoners in mental health c...