The Massachusetts Alliance to Reform CORI (MARC) is committed to making legislative and policy changes as it relates to CORI laws and specifically how organizations and agencies apply the CORI reports.  Recognizing that the CORI system affects people from every walk of life and from every part of the commonwealth, MARC is developing a statewide campaign with people affected by the CORI system driving the effort. 

In the 2006 elections Massachusetts elected a new governor, attorney general, many state legislators, and district attorneys, it is time to move forward strategically as we enter the 2007-2008 legislative session.  To be effective we must organize our communities, promote a change agenda; educate the community and our elected officials about how CORI reform promotes public safety; and promote the benefits of second chances.

Founding partners of MARC include the Massachusetts Law Reform Institute (MLRI): the authors of the CORI Reader and founders of the CORI Project, and The Union of Minority Neighborhoods (UMN) – a community based organization committed to the development of grassroots leadership in Communities of Color.  UMN has a proven history of effective organizing campaigns and developing new leadership through campaigns Other members of the MARC steering committee include representatives of labor unions, faith-based institutions, homeless shelters and advocates, housing, HIV/AIDS work, re-entry programs, and a myriad of other affected constituencies.   

MARC has laid the groundwork for a successful statewide campaign with local groups organizing in cities and towns around the Commonwealth.  Join us!  umnunity@att.net or call 617-541-5411 to join and connect with your local organization. You can also go to www.unionofminorityneighborhoods.org for updated information on MARC activities.

MARC Activities

·          Monthly organizing/strategy meetings

·          Together with Boston City Councilor Chuck Turner, wrote ordinance to revise how the CORI record is applied by all city vendors in their respective hiring practices.

·          Lobby state senators, representatives, and municipal councilors and selectmen

·          Provide training to individuals and organizations in the skills needed to be effective in affecting change

·          Provide advocacy for CORI’d individuals; connecting them with a network of service providers in areas of housing, jobs, treatment, skill building, education; assistance with obtaining and understanding their CORI reports; and attempting to seal CORI entries.

·          Sponsored the “Balancing Public Safety and Second Chances: Retooling CORI Laws” conference with the Criminal Justice Institute at Harvard Law School October 1, 2005.

Media Endorsements & Articles

Major local newspapers and a national news organization have covered MARC’s work, including:

·          Boston Globe (Globe Editorial Board endorsed CORI Reform in August as a result)

·          MSNBC

·          National Public Radio (NPR)

·          WGBH Channel 2 “Greater Boston” produced a CORI segment with District Attorney Coakley and Horace Small

·          Boston Herald, Scores of community newspapers around the state

·          WMBR Radio Station Talk Show

MARC Victories

·          Boston City Council, Cambridge City Council, and Brockton City Council unanimously passed a CORI Reform Resolution urging the state legislature to reform CORI

·          Organized the turnout of over 900 individuals to support CORI Reform before the Judiciary Committee Hearings on the proposed CORI Reform Bills