News ArchiveReportsNews Archive
 The
Unbanked Latino:
Expanding Banking Access for Latinos in Massachusetts
Released September 24, 2005. Updated July 20,
2005.
Excerpt: "The gap in outreach to Latinos provides an attractive
opportunity for financial institutions that are interested in expanding
into new and lucrative markets. “The Latino community needs increased
access to mainstream financial services, and financial institutions
clearly face an opportunity to increase their customer base by marketing
their products and services to this growing segment of the population,”
says Glenda Wilson, Community Affairs Officer for the Federal Reserve
Bank of St. Louis. “Banks may overcome cultural barriers that can
discourage Latinos from establishing a banking relationship by becoming
engaged in their communities.” By successfully reaching out to the
Latino community, banks will not only attract a valuable customer base,
they will help many Latinos get one step closer to achieving their
American dream."
Reducing Gang Violence in the Commonwealth of MA
Prosecution, Policing and Prevention: A
Three-Pronged Approach
Released January 1, 2005.
Excerpt: "The gun shots of summer 2004 shattered a decade-long
peace resulting from a consistent decline in gang violence across
Massachusetts. In the early 1990’s, many cities, most notably Boston and
Chelsea, succeeded in stemming a rising tide of youth homicide and
other, gang-related crimes by developing a successful combination of
tough and targeted law enforcement with innovative community-based
programs. Today, as gang violence resurfaces, ten years of budget cuts,
persistent problems preventing effective prosecution, and diminished
focus on anti-gang efforts at the state and municipal levels have sadly
taken their toll on the success stories of the early 1990’s.
Domestic Violence in Massachusetts
Providing Tools to Protect Victims
Released May 2006.
This report comes out of a public hearing convened by the Joint
Committee on Public Safety and Homeland Security and its Co-Chairs,
Senator Jarrett T. Barrios and Representative Cheryl Coakley-Rivera. The
report’s recommendations set forth the most promising initiatives for
significantly improving the state’s response to the persistent and
serious problem of domestic violence.
The following recommendations incorporate the
experience and extensive research of victim advocacy groups, law
enforcement agencies, and members of the domestic violence legal
community.14 These recommendations shift the burden of domestic violence
from victims onto offenders, by holding the offenders accountable for
their crimes rather than blaming victims for not escaping said crimes.
Furthermore, these recommendations improve victim safety and the expand
resources available for healing and breaking the cycle of violence.
 Critically Vulnerable
Transit Safety in Massachusetts:
An Update Report From the Joint Committee on Public Safety and Homeland
Security Oversight
Hearing on August 4, 2005
Released September 2006
On August 4, 2005, the Massachusetts legislature’s Joint Committee
on Public Safety and Homeland Security held an oversight hearing on the
state of transit security in the Commonwealth. The hearing focused on
transit security following the bombings in London, England in July 2005
and in Madrid, Spain in 2004. The hearing examined obvious questions
raised by such an attack: how prepared is the Massachusetts Bay
Transportation Authority (MBTA) to prevent a similar attack?; and how
prepared is the MBTA, in response to such an attack, to minimize the
loss of life, and to assist in detecting and capturing attackers?
This
report examines the MBTA’s progress in making security changes since the
hearing.
The report looks at five critical components: staffing, training,
equipment, interoperable communications and funding—all issues raised at
the 2005 hearing. It examines progress in each of these areas and makes
recommendations for continued improvement.
The report concludes that the MBTA has made some important progress in
improving security in our public transportation system, but more must be
done to make our preparedness and response system first rate.
 Scaffolding
Safety in the Commonwealth
Released October, 2006
On April 3, 2006, a three-ton mast climbing device
used as a construction platform, collapsed and fell thirteen stories
onto Boylston Street in downtown Boston . This collapse killed two
construction workers and a motorist in his car. In response to this
tragic event, The Joint Committee on Public Safety and Homeland Security
Subcommittee on Scaffolding and Construction Safety was convened.
The Subcommittee conducted an Oversight Hearing on Construction Safety
on April 11, 2006. Additional public meetings of the Subcommittee were
held on May 9, July 26, August 3, and August 7, 2006.
This report represents the analysis, findings and recommendations that
have come out of these meetings, and the numerous conversations with
representatives of state and federal agencies, municipal enforcement
departments, building trade unions, and public health and safety groups.
Illegal Gun Trafficking and Youth Gun
Violence:
Creating Smart Strategies to Combat Gun Violence among Youth in the
Commonwealth
Expected Release Date: April, 2007
In the wake of a surge in youth gun violence in the Commonwealth -
particularly, in our larger, gateway cities--the Legislature’s Joint
Committee on Public Safety and Homeland Security (the “Committee”) held
an oversight hearing on November 20, 2006 to examine this emerging
public safety epidemic. Testimony was received from a range of speakers,
including district attorneys, mayors, community-based organizations,
police and public safety advocates urging action in a variety of
directions to stem the flow of gun violence. Since November, this
violence has continued to escalate with the results continuing make
tragedy of our youth’s promise.
Many ideas have emerged from this hearing and since; a unifying theme
among all testimony was a demand for more and better state and local
efforts to reduce gun violence by getting illegal guns off the streets.
This report will focus on the range of state policy initiatives
available to reduce the outrageous proliferation of weapons among urban
youth. The findings are organized along three-prongs: prosecution,
policing and prevention. Coordinated efforts between and among public
safety players can only be effective if state law provides them with the
necessary tools and resources to undertake these critical tasks.
We conclude in this report that a statewide strategy for the prevention
of gun violence is essential. Shannon Grant programs are the key to
continuing successful youth violence prevention programs. This strategy
also needs enhanced tools tools which, when used effectively, can
prevent illegal guns from finding their way to our streets and
neighborhoods. These tools are summarized in the report.
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