Editorial

Minimum-security prisons play vital role in Mass. justice system

November 18, 2011

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In April, Tamik Kirkland, a two-time felon serving a sentence for illegal gun possession, escaped from a lightly guarded minimum-security prison in Shirley. Shortly thereafter, he was accused of killing one man and wounding three others in Springfield. The allegations against Kirkland are horrific, and they clearly argue for a fine-tuning of some policies. But they in no way undermine the value of minimum-security prisons, which have an important role to play in the justice system.

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