An Act relative to prison reform

HD 531 requires Massachusetts correctional facilities to partner with public colleges to create educational programs, enabling prisoners with a high school diploma to earn college credits toward an associate’s or bachelor’s degree. It mandates the Department of Correction to develop new food standards within six months, including federal nutrition guidelines, 20-minute seated meal times, access to drinking water, and prohibitions on food-related punishments. The bill also establishes two commissions - one to study health care in prisons and another to examine mental health impacts of disciplinary confinement - with reports due by January 2022. These changes directly affect prisoners, correctional facilities, and food service providers across Massachusetts.