Gov. Charlie Baker seeking to halt probation and parole fees in new policy proposal

Republican Gov. of Massachusetts, Charlie Baker, is seeking to stop the monthly fees the state charges those on probation and parole, targeting those levies.

Court officials, lawmakers, and advocates have argued that those fees unnecessarily burden those people who are trying to reenter society, and they do little to ensure public safety.

The proposal, which Baker input into the $48.5 billion budget plan he released last week, would get rid of millions of dollars collected by the state each year. That funding includes money from those who are under supervision following their release from prison or jail.

The move also puts Massachusetts amid a growing number of states that are reevaluating or abolishing similar fees as part of a national push for reforming criminal justice. 

Despite the movement taking place across the country, the proposition, and the sponsor, the state’s two-term Republican governor, shocked even some advocates. Baker’s office did not emphasize the proposal on Wednesday when the spending plan was unveiled, in which the language was hidden under almost 100 policy sections, or in his previous night’s State of the Commonwealth speech.

“It’s effectively a regressive tax,” commented Wanda Bertram of the Prison Policy Initiative, which is a Northampton-based nonprofit. The group in 2016 released a report saying probation fees were misguided “relics” from the late 1980s. In the report, the group argued that a tough-on-crime mindset and budget concerns drove their creation in the state. 

Bertram continued, “Democratic governors should be on their toes on this, that a Republican has signaled he’s willing to make a very common-sense change that is going to be perceived as progressive. Under Massachusetts law, people released from incarceration on parole are required to pay $80 in probation fees. Those on probation pay between $50 and $65 each month.