Inmates at Massachusetts prison allege they are facing reprisal after speaking to the I-Team
Boston – Inmates at one Massachusetts jail claim that the prison administration has retaliated against them for speaking out following an I-Team report that aired in March.
The original investigation discovered that some of the training and education programs indicated in the Department of Corrections brochure did not exist or were not accessible to everybody.
Thousands of inmates waiting for programs
Mac Hudson, a former inmate who now campaigns for incarcerated people, stated, “The tension is so thick that you can cut it with a knife; that’s day-to-day prison life.”
Hudson spent over three decades in prison and now works for Prison Legal Services. He claimed that inmates are being set up to fail and that there is little potential for rehabilitation in prison, thus inmates are leaving unprepared.
Earlier this year, an I-Team investigation discovered that programs such as dog training and hundreds of others described in the Department of Correction’s 2023 brochure were either unavailable at most prisons, had long waiting lists, or did not exist at all.
Aaron Steinberg of Prison Legal Services stated, “The Department of Correction is essentially not doing what it says. Our most recent records request reveals that the program’s waitlists number in the hundreds.”
Advocate stated that inmates are facing reprisal.
Since the report aired, the Department of Corrections (DOC) has amended its list of programs. Prisoners at the state’s Gardner prison, who have launched a lawsuit over a lack of programming, claim that the Department of Corrections has curtailed access to various activities. They’re calling it retaliation.
“I am aware that the administration has clamped down on several individuals since the publication of the post. They denied them of the program access that they were supposed to have by making it difficult for them to access anything,” Hudson explained.
The I-Team discovered that only $10 million, or 2% of the Department of Correction’s $800 million fiscal year 2024 budget, is allocated to education or re-entry programs. Steinberg stated that, while the DOC’s population has declined over time, its budget has increased. He stated that there is a lack of openness on where the money goes.
“It’s discrimination at its highest peak”
According to state records, more than 60% of the 5,765 sentenced offenders are African American or Hispanic, totaling 3,494. According to activists, this population continues to struggle for parole or early release because they lack the opportunity to demonstrate new skills and knowledge.
Hudson stated, “It is a common occurrence for black and brown people. This is discrimination at its pinnacle. “It’s institutional racism, structural racism.”
The government of Correction stated that it does not comment on current lawsuits, but in court records, the government refuted claims of retribution.
The DOC further stated that a jailed individual’s customized program plan is determined by the department’s assessment of specified educational, job, and substance use treatment needs, as well as programmatic availability at various facilities.