Peterson: No Parole After 3rd Conviction

Representative George N. Peterson, Jr. (R-Grafton) joined lead sponsor Bradford Hill (R-Ipswich), House Minority Leader Bradley H. Jones, Jr. (R-North Reading) and the entire House Republican Caucus yesterday in supporting legislation aimed at protecting the public from dangerous, repeat offenders.

Peterson spoke of his support for this bill during a , a registered sex offender who removed his mandatory monitoring bracelet while out on parole.

The bill, often referred to as “Melissa’s Bill”, was filed in 2000 in memory of Melissa Gosule, a 27-year-old teacher who was brutally murdered by a repeat offender who had served fewer than two years in jail for a combined 27 criminal convictions.

The official name of the legislation is House Bill 3811, An Act Relative to Habitual Repeat Offenders, Sentencing and Improving Law Enforcement Tools

More recent violent attacks by repeat offenders further illustrate the need for legislation aimed at keeping these offenders incarcerated, Peterson believes.

“I am pleased that the Legislature has confirmed its commitment to ensuring the safety of all the citizens of the Commonwealth from dangerous, habitual offenders,” said Representative Hill. “We in the Republican Caucus were happy to have taken the lead, joined by our Democratic colleagues, in passing this legislation.”

Amendments offered by House Republicans during the debate include: mandatory written notification of parole hearings to the Attorney General, District Attorney, local Chief of Police, and the victim for an offender convicted of a violent crime who has served more than 5 years in prison; and a requirement that parole for life sentences may only be granted by a 2/3 vote of the parole board.

“ 'Melissa’s Bill’ is a critical piece of public safety legislation whose time has come,”  Peterson said in a prepared statement. “I now urge the Conferees to move as quickly as possible to get a compromise between the House and Senate versions completed. It will be a great day for Massachusetts when we can all claim victory in passing a bill that will further protect the citizens of the Commonwealth from dangerous, repeat offenders.”

Components of “Melissa’s Bill” passed by the House of Representatives includes:

• The length of time a habitual offender must serve before becoming eligible for parole is increased from ½ to 2/3 of their sentence.
• Anyone convicted of a predetermined offense, who has been convicted twice previously of one or more the listed offenses, will be considered a habitual offender and be punished by imprisonment for the maximum term provided by law for the third offense.
• No person shall be considered a habitual offender based upon any offense for which such person was adjudicated a delinquent child.
• Anyone convicted of a felony who has been previously twice convicted and sentenced to prison for at least 3 years by the state of Massachusetts, another state, or the United States, will be considered a habitual offender and be punished by imprisonment for the maximum term provided by law for the subsequent felony for which that offender is to be sentenced. 

 The legislation will now be sent to Conference Committee.