SALEM, Mass. — In the final months of the Baker Administration, Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker is making a major push to update the state’s Dangerousness Law. That’s the mechanism that allows a judge to hold a defendant without bail before a trial.
In recent months, Gov. Baker has held Victims Roundtables across Massachusetts, giving victims and their families a chance to speak about the need to reform the law.
On Wednesday, the Baker Administration visited Salem State University, where five victims gave gripping testimony.
“I was hit so hard, I had two black eyes, my nose turned black, and my jaw was bruised,” Tara, a domestic violence victim, said.
“One night he kidnapped me and held me captive at my home overnight,” Carla told the panel. “I was convinced he was going to kill me, and he asked me, how do I want to die?”
One man named Bob said, back in the 1970s, he was a victim of Wayne Chapman, a predator who admitted to molesting 100 boys and who was also a suspect in the 1976 disappearance of Andy Puglisi, of Lawrence.
“Once in the woods, he made me and my friend undress, and raped us one at a time. It was awful watching my friend being raped, and I was terrified knowing I would be next,” Bob said.
“These stories bother us, they stay with us,” Gov. Baker said.
The governor’s bill allows a judge to consider a defendant’s entire criminal history, not just the current charge, in considering whether a defendant is dangerous. The law also expands the list of criminal charges that allows a judge to even consider dangerousness.
The bill has the support of district attorneys like Jonathan Blodgett of Essex County.
“We have to get this done. We have to protect children, sexual assault survivors, and the general public,” DA Blodgett said.
But the bill’s passage is not certain. Some groups are concerned about its impact on prison populations and the potential impact on people of color.
Gov. Baker believes this bill is about public safety.
“This is not the overturning of our criminal justice system. It is on behalf of victims, closing certain loopholes making them feel time and time again like the deck is stacked against them. And stacked for the people who are taking advantage of both the law and of them,” Baker said.
The governor’s staff is hoping to have the bill out of committee by the end of June.
The Salem event was the fourth Victim’s Roundtable. At least one more is planned.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.
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