BOSTON (AP) — The Massachusetts Senate is looking for ways to overhaul the state’s criminal justice system.
Some ideas being considered include eliminating minimum mandatory sentences, revamping the bail system, and hiking the age of those sent to juvenile court from 18 to 21.
Other ideas include raising the dollar amount needed to trigger a felony larceny charge from $250 to $1,500.
Sen. Sonia Chang-Diaz, a Boston Democrat, backs many of the changes but said the problem goes beyond tweaking existing laws.
She said many communities have been harmed by a broken criminal justice system that separates families and leads to the loss of parents and community members for years at a time, tearing at the fabric of neighborhood life.
A long-awaited review of the Massachusetts criminal justice system is expected this week.
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