ACLU

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Legislation to Watch: Abolishing Life Without Parole

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By Renna Ayyash

Seeking to continue the success of last session’s Criminal Justice Reform Act, St. 2018, c. 69, a number of currently proposed legislative bills aim to reprioritize rehabilitation, rather than punishment, in the Massachusetts’s prison system. The specific focus of this entry will be on An Act to Reduce Mass Incarceration, S.D. 533/H.D. 154, which would abolish the sentence of life without parole (LWOP), a sentence more than one in ten Massachusetts’ prisoners are serving. Ashley Nellis, Still Life: America’s Increasing Use of Life and Long-Term Sentences, The Sentencing Project (May 3, 2017). As this article hopes to illustrate, this proposed bill should be seriously considered for both pecuniary and financial reasons . . .

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FCC Chair Signals Possible End to Sinclair-Tribune Deal

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By Elena J. Despotopulos

On May 8, 2017, Tribune Media Company and Sinclair Broadcast Group announced the planned acquisition of Tribune by Sinclair, a deal that will cost Sinclair $3.9 billion, as well as the assumption of $2.7 billion in debt. See Gary Weitman, Sinclair Broadcast Group To Acquire Tribune Media Company For Approximately $3.9 Billion, Tribune Media (May 8, 2017, 1:00PM). If approved, Sinclair will acquire Tribune’s 42 television stations in 33 markets, bringing Sinclair’s total ownership, operation, or service provision to 233 television stations in 108 markets. Id. Sinclair will own and operate the largest number of stations of any station group. See Sinclair and Tribune, MB Docket 17-179, FCC.gov (last visited July 19, 2018) . . .

21,000+ Drug Cases Dropped Due to Dookhan Scandal

By Monica Delateur

Tuesday, April 18, 2017, was the deadline for prosecutors to determine what to do about convictions impacted by the Annie Dookhan evidence-tampering scandal. Massachusetts prosecutors decided to drop more than 21,000 drug cases implicated by the scandal. The dismissal of these cases was approved by the Supreme Judicial Court (SJC) on April 19th.