Response to Emergency Petition for Relief Filed

Today Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan joined by Norwestern District Attorney David Sullivan have filed a response to the emergency petition filed on Tuesday by the ACLU of Massachusetts, together with the Committee for Public Counsel Services (CPCS) and the Massachusetts Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (MACDL) asking the Supreme Judicial Court to take immediate action to limit outbreaks of COVID-19 by reducing the numbers of people who are incarcerated in Massachusetts jails, prisons, and houses of correction.

The response reflects the ongoing approach being taken in Middlesex and other counties to work collaboratively to review and identify nonviolent offenders and medically compromised prisoners who 
can be released without danger to the community. The response also calls for the Court to convene an emergency committee comprised of the various stakeholders in the criminal justice system to 
identify policies that can be immediately implemented to reduce the population of incarcerated defendants. 

The full filing can be viewed here: