Gov. Patrick disappoints his supporters, again.
Advocates for limiting the use of criminal records in hiring decisions say they are disappointed that Governor Deval Patrick, who promised reform as a candidate, offered a bill they say falls short and that has failed to advance in the House.Dozens of people with criminal records ended a four-day march from Worcester to Boston yesterday with a State House rally, where they called for drastic changes to the use of Criminal Offender Record Information, or CORI, which advocates say has denied them jobs and education years after they paid their debts to society...
Since taking office, Patrick has issued an executive order barring state agencies from considering a job applicant's criminal record until after a person is deemed qualified for the position. He also revised the state's use of CORI to allow people with criminal records to work at agencies that receive funding from the Department of Health and Human Services.
Advocates hailed those as positive steps, but say they were disappointed his CORI reform legislation requires a longer waiting period before criminal records are sealed than would the Public Safety Act, which passed the state Senate two years ago. Patrick's bill, under consideration by the House Judiciary Committee, reduces from 10 years to five the time that must pass before a misdemeanor is sealed in a person's record, and reduces the waiting period from 15 years to 10 for felonies. The Public Safety Act would reduce the waiting period to three years and seven years, respectively.
"When Deval Patrick campaigned, he campaigned for strong criminal justice reform," said Horace Small, executive director of the Union of Minority Neighborhoods. "What's starting to emerge is a pattern of - and I'm only speaking on behalf of the Union of Minority Neighborhoods - that Deval Patrick ain't who he says he is."
Nice to see you wise up, Horace.
SECOND UPDATE: From Holly Robichaud, Hub Politics, Pundit Review, the Salem News, the Herald and the Globe.
