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Governor Baker's block of prison moratorium 'a slap in the face,' says anti-incarceration group

The Massachusetts Correctional Institution at Norfolk is the largest medium security level facility in Massachusetts.
Michael P. Norton
/
State House News Service
The Massachusetts Correctional Institution at Norfolk is the largest medium security level facility in Massachusetts.

A Massachusetts group opposed to the incarceration of women and girls says a decision by Governor Charlie Baker to block a five-year moratorium on prison construction from moving forward is not acceptable.

Baker signed a new bond bill last week, but excluded a five-year prohibition on building prisons and jails, which the Legislature had signed off on.

Mallory Hanora, executive director of Families for Justice as Healing, isn't happy about Baker's decision.

'We want to focus on reimagining our communities without prisons," she said. "This is slap in the face of constituents across the commonwealth that have been demanding something different."

The Baker Administration has considered plans to transfer incarcerated women from an aging facility in Framingham to a new one in Norfolk.

In a letter to lawmakers, Baker said the bond bill would restrict renovations on existing facilities.

Hanora said her group is calling on the Legislature to come back for a special session in September to override Baker's veto of the prison moratorium.

Before joining New England Public Media, Alden was a producer for the CBS NEWS program 60 Minutes. In that role, he covered topics ranging from art, music and medicine to business, education and politics.

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SOMOS CONNECTICUT is an initiative from Connecticut Public, the state’s local NPR and PBS station, to elevate Latino stories and expand programming that uplifts and informs our Latino communities. Visit CTPublic.org/latino for more stories and resources. For updates, sign up for the SOMOS CONNECTICUT newsletter at ctpublic.org/newsletters.

SOMOS CONNECTICUT es una iniciativa de Connecticut Public, la emisora local de NPR y PBS del estado, que busca elevar nuestras historias latinas y expandir programación que alza y informa nuestras comunidades latinas locales. Visita CTPublic.org/latino para más reportajes y recursos. Para noticias, suscríbase a nuestro boletín informativo en ctpublic.org/newsletters.

The independent journalism and non-commercial programming you rely on every day is in danger.

If you’re reading this, you believe in trusted journalism and in learning without paywalls. You value access to educational content kids love and enriching cultural programming.

Now all of that is at risk.

Federal funding for public media is under threat and if it goes, the impact to our communities will be devastating.

Together, we can defend it. It’s time to protect what matters.

Your voice has protected public media before. Now, it’s needed again. Learn how you can protect the news and programming you depend on.

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