State Parole Board

The state's highest court says juveniles convicted of first-degree murder are entitled to public funds for lawyers and expert witnesses at parole board hearings. Monday's 5-2 ruling by the Supreme Judicial Court builds on a December 2013 ruling that found mandatory life sentences for juveniles without the possibility of parole unconstitutional...

The highest court in Massachusetts has ruled that lifetime parole for sex offenders is unconstitutional, finding that only judges can impose new sentences on offenders who have already completed their original sentence. The Supreme Judicial Court ruled Wednesday that the current law allowing the state Parole Board to impose new sentences violates the state constitution...