Supporters of criminal justice reform have fought against policies promoting harsh sentences and mass incarceration. In recent years there has been movement toward new policies on the federal and the state level. Other states are modeling their reforms based on the Massachusetts criminal justice reform bill, passed two years ago, which includes alternatives to prison and re-entry programs. Still, many who are caught up in the system are at risk for wrongful convictions, with people of color at greatest risk.

Panelists:

Rahsaan Hall, director of the racial justice program for the A-C-L-U of Massachusetts

Ivan Espinoza-Madrigal, Executive Director of The Lawyers for Civil Rights in Boston. 

Phillip Martin, Sr. Investigative Reporter, New England Center for Investigative Reporting, GBH News

Sean Ellis.  Ellis was wrongfully convicted of a 1993 murder of a Boston police detective.  After having spent nearly 22 years incarcerated, his conviction was overturned in 2015.