BOSTON — A legislative commission’s finding that structural racism exists throughout Massachusetts’ prison system should prompt immediate action from state leaders, according to an opinion piece published in the Boston Herald by community leader Ed Gaskin, who argues the report documents systemic inequities that undermine rehabilitation, public safety and public trust.
Gaskin, executive director of Greater Grove Hall Main Streets and founder of Sunday Celebrations, points to the findings of the Special Legislative Commission on Structural Racism in Correctional Facilities as evidence that racial disparities remain embedded in correctional policies, programs and workplace culture. He argues the commission’s recommendations should be implemented with clear timelines, transparent reporting and public accountability.
The commission conducted the first legislative investigation into racial disparities within Massachusetts prisons and jails. Former Rep. Nika Elugardo and Sen. Jamie Eldridge co-chaired the panel.
Calling the report “not a vague accusation, but a detailed warning,” Gaskin writes that it documents “unfair treatment by race and other intersecting identities” and concludes the state’s correctional system requires meaningful reform.
He argues the consequences extend well beyond prison walls because most incarcerated people eventually return to their communities.
“Most incarcerated individuals will eventually return to their communities,” he states. “If the correctional system fails to provide fair access to jobs, education, healthcare, mental health services, and reentry programs, the consequences do not remain inside prison. They follow people home. Public safety depends on successful reentry.”
According to Gaskin, the commission identified four overlapping forms of racism: institutional racism in correctional policies and procedures, systemic racism reflecting broader criminal justice disparities, interpersonal racism in correctional relationships, and internalized racism within correctional culture.
He writes that the report found “unequal access to prison jobs, disparities in disciplinary outcomes, barriers to reentry programs, and unequal access to healthcare and mental health services.”
Gaskin also notes that many incarcerated individuals of color are “reported waiting longer for job assignments or being steered toward lower-paying positions compared with white prisoners.”
He argues those disparities have consequences that extend beyond incarceration because prison jobs often determine who gains work experience, earns wages, builds a record of responsibility and receives recommendations that can improve opportunities after release.
“They can determine who gains work experience, who earns money, who builds a record of responsibility, and who receives recommendations for future opportunities,” he adds. “If access to those jobs is unequal, the inequality follows people into reentry.”
Gaskin contends the same inequities affect educational opportunities, mental health care, workforce training and reentry services.
“The same is true for education, mental health care, workforce training, and reentry programs,” he says. “These are not privileges disconnected from public safety. They are among the main ways incarcerated people prepare to return to society. If access to those opportunities is unequal, rehabilitation itself becomes unequal.”
The report also highlights concerns raised by correctional staff members of color, who reported experiencing racial discrimination in the workplace. Gaskin argues those experiences are tied to the same structural problems affecting incarcerated people.
“A system cannot be healthy for those in custody if it is unhealthy for those responsible for maintaining order, safety, and rehabilitation,” Gaskin states. “Supporting correctional staff and confronting racism are not opposing goals. A fairer, more transparent system is better for incarcerated people, staff, taxpayers, and communities.”
Gaskin identifies the lack of comprehensive data as one of the report’s most significant findings, arguing that policymakers cannot effectively address disparities without reliable information.
“Without consistent data on race, discipline, job assignments, education, healthcare access, and program participation, policymakers cannot know where disparities occur, why they occur, or whether reforms are working. […] Better data collection should be a basic requirement for the Department of Correction and county correctional systems.”
He calls on the Legislature, the Healey administration, the Department of Correction and county sheriffs to “publicly commit to implementing the Elugardo-Eldridge commission’s recommendations with timelines, data reporting, and annual public accountability.”
Gaskin outlines four recommendations for state leaders. First, he says the Department of Correction and county facilities should publish race-disaggregated data on discipline, job assignments, education, health care, mental health services and participation in reentry programs.
Second, he argues prison job assignments and program placements should follow transparent criteria based on need, readiness, safety and rehabilitation rather than “informal relationships, favoritism, or bias.”
Third, he calls for annual public progress reports documenting implementation of the commission’s recommendations.
Finally, Gaskin urges Massachusetts to “pilot an equitable workforce development model that connects incarcerated individuals to community colleges, trade schools, apprenticeships, employers, and emerging tools such as virtual reality and extended reality training.”
He also frames the issue as one of fiscal accountability, noting that Massachusetts spends “roughly $800 million each year operating its state prison system.”
Gaskin argues that “taxpayers have every right to expect that this investment produces a correctional system that is fair, transparent, accountable, and effective.”
He closes by urging state officials to move beyond acknowledging the commission’s findings and begin implementing meaningful reforms.
“The Elugardo-Eldridge commission started an important conversation,” he writes. “But reports do not change systems unless leaders act on them. The goal of prison should not simply be punishment. It should be preparation.”
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