Framingham woman says lawmakers should get back to work and pass prison moratorium

To the editor:

It is not too late for our legislators to do the right thing.

There is a bill on the floor of the State House that would preserve our precious resources, money that could be spent on caring for people instead of spending over $70 million on building new women’s and juvenile prisons that we don’t need in our state with the lowest female incarceration rate in the country. Our elected officials should get back to work and pass the moratorium on prisons and jails — a bill they passed at the last minute two years ago, but didn’t put back into action to override Governor Baker’s veto.

I have a table at the Framingham farmers market, and when I talk to people about this bill, the community support is clear. People want affordable housing, accessible health care, programs for people affected by the opioid crisis, and re-entry support. They are surprised to learn that our tax dollars are going to new prisons and that we pay over $235,000 a year for every woman incarcerated in our state.

If the moratorium passes, we will have a five-year pause on prison construction, enough time to prioritize caring for people in our communities.

Patricia Kryzak

Framingham

This article originally appeared on MetroWest Daily News: Framingham woman says lawmakers should approve prison moratorium