1 of 1
HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 2412 FILED ON: 1/19/2023
HOUSE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 1687
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts
_________________
PRESENTED BY:
Frank A. Moran
_________________
To the Honorable Senate and House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in General
Court assembled:
The undersigned legislators and/or citizens respectfully petition for the adoption of the accompanying bill:
An Act related to educational programming for incarcerated emerging adults.
_______________
PETITION OF:
NAME:DISTRICT/ADDRESS :DATE ADDED:Frank A. Moran17th Essex1/19/2023 1 of 2
HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 2412 FILED ON: 1/19/2023
HOUSE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 1687
By Representative Moran of Lawrence, a petition (accompanied by bill, House, No. 1687) of
Frank A. Moran relative to educational programming for incarcerated emerging adults. The
Judiciary.
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts
_______________
In the One Hundred and Ninety-Third General Court
(2023-2024)
_______________
An Act related to educational programming for incarcerated emerging adults.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority
of the same, as follows:
1 SECTION 1. Section 48 of Chapter 127, as appearing in section 80 of chapter 69 of the
2acts of 2018, is hereby amended by striking the second paragraph and inserting in place thereof
3the following:
4 The commissioner and administrators of state prisons and county facilities shall
5maximize a diverse range of educational programming for all emerging adults, ages 18-25. The
6commissioner shall ensure that at least one educational program leading to the award of a high
7school equivalency certificate including high school equivalency testing opportunities, and credit
8that can be applied to high school graduation, is available to persons who are committed to the
9custody of the department or to a county correctional facility and who have not obtained a high
10school degree or equivalency. In addition to each such facility providing at least one general high
11school equivalency (HiSet) class and high school equivalency testing opportunities and classes
12that can earn credit toward high school graduation, each facility shall also include specialized, 2 of 2
13age-appropriate educational classes for emerging adults, including all individuals ages 18 thru
1425, for both individuals who have and have not obtained a high school degree or equivalency,
15including but not limited to college readiness and college credit classes, and/or workforce
16readiness and vocational classes. Access to workforce development, vocational and employment
17training opportunities in the community shall be maximized as available. All emerging adults
18shall have the opportunity to access at least four hours of programming daily at least five days a
19week; at least four hours daily shall be for programming that will be out of cell and congregate,
20meaning more than one person together without barriers between them to ensure the most
21conducive educational learning environment. Time allowed for in-cell learning through tablets
22shall be maximized and considered as additional time toward the already required daily four
23hours of out of cell learning. Preference for all educational programming will be provided for
24innovations in the delivery of such programming that include, but not limited to, partnerships
25with nonprofits and educational institutions that specialize in serving emerging adults and draw
26upon the talents of staff with lived experiences similar to those incarcerated.