Councilor Tania Fernandez Anderson initiated the hearing, emphasizing the need to address complaints about bail practices and due process. The discussions began with representatives from various advocacy organizations, including Jasmine Burgess of the Massachusetts Bail Fund. Burgess highlighted the organization’s role in assisting individuals who cannot afford bail and criticized the central booking process for its dehumanizing effects. She pointed out systemic issues such as homelessness, substance use, mental health problems, and poverty, which the Massachusetts Bail Fund aims to address by providing support to those in need.

Burgess noted an alarming trend of increasing budgets for jails despite a declining jail population and referenced the deaths of seven individuals at Suffolk County Jail over the past three and a half years. She argued that proposals for regional lockups and the central booking process could further expand carceral systems without providing necessary community resources like housing and mental health care.

John Harvey, Director of the Mass Bell Fund, supported these themes by advocating for the end of pretrial detention and emphasizing the disproportionate impact of the justice system on poor and unhoused individuals. He presented data indicating a decline in overall jail populations from 2017 to 2024, accompanied by an increase in racial disparities. Harvey criticized municipal policies that focus on encampment sweeps, arguing that such actions exacerbate struggles for unhoused individuals instead of offering solutions. He condemned recent agreements between the Boston Police Department and the Suffolk County Sheriff’s Department, which enable arrests and transportation to Nashua Street Jail, highlighting a lack of transparency and access to bail options.

The Council heard detailed accounts of individuals processed through the central booking system at Nashua Street Jail. Between November 1 and May 6, 487 people were processed, with only two released on bail before arraignment. Concerns were raised about the duration of detention and the availability of bail commissioners. Many detainees faced nonviolent charges, and families struggled to locate loved ones due to misinformation from jail staff.

Cassie Hurd, Executive Director of the Materials and Advocacy Program, criticized the city’s approach to homelessness and drug use, emphasizing the need for community-based solutions rather than carceral systems. Hurd referenced “Operation Clean Sweep,” which involved police raids criticized by civil rights advocates for targeting unhoused individuals. She argued that increased police presence under the guise of public safety further alienates and criminalizes the unhoused population and disrupts their access to essential services.

A speaker noted a decrease in overdose deaths attributed to the displacement of community members rather than effective support. They urged the City Council to end the agreement between the Boston Police Department and the Suffolk County Sheriff’s Department and rescind the camping ban ordinance, advocating for evidence-based solutions that prioritize housing and treatment over incarceration.

Alexis, a board member of the Massachusetts Bail Fund, shared personal experiences highlighting the need for community awareness of inequities. They argued against the criminalization of homelessness and called for the City Council to focus on humane solutions. Alexis emphasized the inadequacies of jails as facilities for treatment, noting that “jails are not meant to be medical facilities.”

George Lee, an organizer with Youth Justice and Power Union, urged the Council to shut down the central booking system and redirect funds towards community-based solutions. He criticized the systemic exploitation of the poor and advocated for investments in low-threshold housing and voluntary treatment options.

Dr. Christine Mitchell, a public health researcher, highlighted the long-term negative effects of incarceration, including job loss and housing instability. She called for investments in community-based services to improve health outcomes and end the detention agreement between the Boston Police Department and the Suffolk County Sheriff’s Department.