Today is a statewide day of action to urge legislators to move important criminal justice reform measures forward.

Contact your legislators today and ask them to urge Conference Committee members and House and Senate leadership to support comprehensive criminal justice reform.

Find and Contact Your Legislators

GLAD is working with Citizens for Juvenile Justice and MA Against Solitary Confinement on these critical priorities that would significantly impact LGBTQ youth and adults, particularly LGBTQ people of color, who are disproportionately impacted by the criminal justice system:

• Raise the Age: Current law allows for kids as young as seven to enter into the juvenile justice system, and allows for 18-year-olds to enter into the adult criminal justice system. Raising the age on both ends would ensure a fairer system with better outcomes for kids and young adults. Urge your legislator to support raising the age of juvenile jurisdiction to exclude kids under 12 and to include 18 year olds.  See a sample script for contacting your legislators about Raise the Age 
• Romeo & Juliet Law: Massachusetts is one of the last States to decriminalize consensual sexual activity between close-in-age adolescents. Reforming this law would ensure that consenting teens, including LGBTQ teens, are provided guidance about relationships, rather than criminalized. See a sample script for contacting your legislators about Romeo & Juliet 
• Solitary confinement: LGBTQ prisoners are more likely to be placed in solitary confinement for their “protection.” But solitary confinement does not protect LGBTQ prisoners from harm and in fact increases psychological and emotional harm. This amendment would limit how long a prisoner can remain in solitary confinement and would prevent LGBTQ prisoners from isolation simply because they are, or are perceived to be, LGBTQ.

Leadership and Conference Committee Members

Harriette L. Chandler, Senate President
Phone: 617-722-1544
Email: Harriette.Chandler@masenate.gov

Rober DeLeo, House Speaker
Phone: 617-722-2500
Email: Robert.DeLeo@mahouse.gov

Click here to find and contact your legislator.

Criminal Justice Reform Conference Committee Members

Bruce E. Tarr, Senate Minority Leader
District: 1^st Essex and Middlesex
Phone: 617-722-1600
Email: Bruce.Tarr@masenate.gov

Sen. William N. Brownsberger
District: 2^nd Suffolk and Middlesex
Phone: 617-722-1280
Email: William.Brownsberger@masenate.gov

Sen. Cynthia S. Creem
District: 1^st Middlesex and Norfolk
Phone: 617-722-1639
Email: Cynthia.Creem@masenate.gov

Ronald Mariano, House Majority Leader
District: 3^rd Norfolk
Phone: 617-722-2396
Email: Ronald.Mariano@mahouse.gov

Rep. Claire Cronin
District: 11^th Plymouth
Phone: 617-722-2396
Email: Claire.Cronin@mahouse.gov

Rep. Sheila C. Harrington
District: 1^st Middlesex
Phone: 617-722-2305
Email: Sheila.Harrington@mahouse.gov