reglab/housing_qa huggingface dataset:
MA Gen L ch 211d § 9 (2021)
2021 Massachusetts General Laws|Part III - Courts, Judicial Officers and Proceedings in Civil Cases|Title I - Courts and Judicial Officers|Chapter 211d - Committee for Public Counsel Services|Section 9 - Division Standards

Section 9. The committee shall establish standards for the public defender division and the private counsel division which shall include but not be limited to:  (a) vertical or continuous representation at the pre-trial and trial stages by the attorney either assigned or appointed, whenever possible;  (b) required participation by each attorney in an approved course of training in the fundamentals of criminal trial practice, unless the attorney has a level of ability which makes such participation unnecessary;  (c) specified caseload limitation levels;  (d) investigative services;  (e) a method for the provision of social services or social service referrals;  (f) availability of expert witnesses to participating counsel;  (g) clerical assistance, interview facilities, and the availability of a law library and model forms to participating counsel; and  (h) adequate supervision provided by experienced attorneys who shall be available to less experienced attorneys.  (i) qualifications for vendors for the services provided in clauses (d), (e) and (f) and a range of rates payable for said services, taking into consideration the rates, qualifications and history of performance; provided, however, that such ranges may be exceeded with approval of the court. Payment of such costs and fees shall be in accordance with the provisions of section twenty-seven A to G, inclusive, of chapter two hundred and sixty-one.
MA Gen L ch 211d § 10 (2021)
2021 Massachusetts General Laws|Part III - Courts, Judicial Officers and Proceedings in Civil Cases|Title I - Courts and Judicial Officers|Chapter 211d - Committee for Public Counsel Services|Section 10 - Committee Monitoring of Standards Compliance; Review of Client Complaints

Section 10. The committee shall monitor and evaluate compliance with the standards and the performance of counsel in its divisions in order to insure competent representation of defendants in all courts of the commonwealth and shall establish a procedure for the review and disposition of client complaints. The committee shall also establish procedures whereby comments on the standard of performance of counsel in its divisions may be submitted by the justice hearing a particular matter.
MA Gen L ch 211d § 12 (2021)
2021 Massachusetts General Laws|Part III - Courts, Judicial Officers and Proceedings in Civil Cases|Title I - Courts and Judicial Officers|Chapter 211d - Committee for Public Counsel Services|Section 12 - Private Counsel Compensation; Audit and Oversight Department; Submission of Invoices for Payment

Section 12. (a) The committee shall establish policies and procedures to provide fair compensation to private counsel and vendors, which shall include a remedy for an attorney aggrieved by the amount of payment. The committee shall also establish an audit and oversight department to monitor billing and private attorney and vendor compensation. All private attorney bills shall be processed for payment within 30 days of receipt by the chief counsel, excluding any bills held for review or audit. Bills shall be submitted to the committee within 30 days from the conclusion of a case or within 30 days after the end of such fiscal year during which the legal services were provided if the case is pending at the end of the fiscal year, whichever date is earlier. Bills submitted after such dates need not be processed for payment within 30 days. The amount of payment for a bill received by the chief counsel more than 30 days but less than 60 days from conclusion of a case, or more than 30 days but less than 60 days after the end of such fiscal year during which the legal services were provided, whichever date is earlier, shall be reduced by 10 per cent. Any bill submitted after 60 days shall not be processed for payment; provided, however, that the chief counsel may authorize the payment of such bill, either in whole or in part, upon a determination that the delay was due to extraordinary circumstances beyond the control of the attorney.  (b) Bills shall be submitted to the committee for services provided under sections 27A to 27G, inclusive, of chapter 261 within 30 days of the last date of service or within 30 days after the end of such fiscal year during which the services were provided if the case is pending at the end of the fiscal year, whichever date is earlier. The amount of payment for a bill received by the chief counsel more than 30 days but less than 60 days from the last date of service, or more than 30 days but less than 60 after the end of such fiscal year during which services were provided, whichever date is earlier, shall be reduced by 10 per cent. Any bill submitted after 60 days shall not be processed for payment; provided, however, that the chief counsel may authorize the payment of such bill either in whole or in part upon a determination that the delay was due to extraordinary circumstances beyond the control of the vendor.  (c) The committee may further prescribe such policies and procedures for payment as it deems appropriate; provided, however, that the committee may impose interest and penalties, where appropriate, upon overpayment of the private attorney bills recovered from private attorneys and upon overpayment of vendor bills recovered from vendors.
MA Gen L ch 211d § 13 (2021)
2021 Massachusetts General Laws|Part III - Courts, Judicial Officers and Proceedings in Civil Cases|Title I - Courts and Judicial Officers|Chapter 211d - Committee for Public Counsel Services|Section 13 - Chief Counsel; Deputies; Staff; Compensation

Section 13. The committee shall appoint a chief counsel, whose responsibilities and duties shall be defined by the committee and shall include, but not be limited to, the overall supervision of the workings of the various divisions of the committee. The committee shall further appoint two deputy chief counsel, with duties defined by the committee, one of whom shall supervise the public defender division, and the other shall supervise the private counsel division. The committee shall also prescribe the procedures for the appointment of all legal and nonlegal staff of the public defender division and for the procurement of office space as may be required. The chief counsel shall authorize the certification of all payments under section twenty-seven G of chapter two hundred and sixty-one and section twenty of chapter twenty-nine. All legal and nonlegal staff of the public counsel division shall be full time and shall devote their entire time during ordinary business hours to their duties and shall neither directly or indirectly engage in the private practice of law. The chief counsel and deputy chief counsels shall likewise devote full time to their duties. The chief counsel, deputy chief counsels and all legal and non-legal staff of the committee, including staff attorneys hired under subparagraphs (a) and (b) of section 6 but not including persons described in the fourth sentence of said subparagraph (b) of said section 6, shall be considered public employees for purposes of chapter 258. The chief counsel shall be paid a salary comparable to the salary paid to a district attorney. The salaries of the deputy chief counsels shall be established by the committee. All other legal staff of the public defender division shall be paid at salaries comparable to the salary paid to an attorney employed in a district attorney's office.  The counsel and other employees appointed by the committee shall not be subject to the provisions of chapter thirty-one.
MA Gen L ch 211d § 15 (2021)
2021 Massachusetts General Laws|Part III - Courts, Judicial Officers and Proceedings in Civil Cases|Title I - Courts and Judicial Officers|Chapter 211d - Committee for Public Counsel Services|Section 15 - Community Advisory Board; Roxbury Community; Consultation

Section 15. The committee shall consult regularly with a community advisory board appointed by the committee to represent the greater Roxbury community. Members of the community advisory board shall not receive compensation or reimbursement for expenses.
MA Gen L ch 211d § 16 (2021)
2021 Massachusetts General Laws|Part III - Courts, Judicial Officers and Proceedings in Civil Cases|Title I - Courts and Judicial Officers|Chapter 211d - Committee for Public Counsel Services|Section 16 - Appointment of Counsel; Sex Offender Registry Classification System

Section 16. The committee shall establish, supervise and maintain a system for the appointment of counsel for the provision of legal services for indigents subject to the sex offender registry classification system and resulting appeals pursuant to sections 178C to 178P, inclusive, of chapter 6.
MA Gen L ch 211e § 2 (2021)
2021 Massachusetts General Laws|Part III - Courts, Judicial Officers and Proceedings in Civil Cases|Title I - Courts and Judicial Officers|Chapter 211e - Massachusetts Sentencing Commission|Section 2 - Purpose of Sentencing Commission

Section 2. The purposes of the Massachusetts sentencing commission shall be to recommend sentencing policies and practices for the commonwealth which:  (1) punish the offender justly;  (2) secure the public safety of the commonwealth by providing a swift and sure response to the commission of crime;  (3) meet the purposes of sentencing, which are:  (A) to reflect the seriousness of the offense;  (B) to promote respect for the law;  (C) to provide just punishment for the offense;  (D) to afford adequate deterrence to criminal conduct;  (E) to protect the public from further crimes of the defendant; and  (F) to provide the defendant with educational or vocational training;  (4) provide certainty and fairness in sentencing, avoiding unwarranted sentencing disparities among defendants with similar criminal records who have been found guilty of similar criminal conduct, while maintaining judicial discretion and sufficient flexibility to permit individualized sentences warranted by mitigating or aggravating factors;  (5) promote truth in sentencing, in order that all parties involved in the criminal justice process, including the prosecution, the defendant, the court, the victim and the public, are aware of the nature and length of the sentence and its basis;  (6) ration correctional capacity and other criminal justice resources to sentences imposed, making said rationing explicit, rational and coherent, in order to:  (A) afford sufficient correctional capacity to incarcerate violent offenders consistent with paragraph one;  (B) evaluate, on a yearly basis, the performance of said rationing, making appropriate remedial recommendations consistent with subparagraph (8) of paragraph (c) of section one;  (C) prevent the prison population in the commonwealth from exceeding the capacity of the prisons, and to prevent premature release for any other reason, and to serve the ends of truth in sentencing by taking into account, in establishing sentencing policies and practices for the commonwealth, the nature and capacity of correctional facilities and community sanctions available in the commonwealth consistent with protecting public safety;  (7) encourage the development and implementation of intermediate sanctions in appropriate cases as a sentencing option, consistent with protecting public safety;  (8) enhance the value of criminal sanctions and ensure that the criminal penalties imposed are the most appropriate ones by encouraging the development of a wider array of criminal sanctions;  (9) make offenders accountable to the community for their criminal behavior, through community service, restitution, and a range of intermediate sanctions;  (10) evaluate the impact, if any, on correctional facility capacity of the discontinuation of sentence reductions for good conduct;  (11) nothing contained in this section shall be construed as creating any right of action.
MA Gen L ch 211e § 4 (2021)
2021 Massachusetts General Laws|Part III - Courts, Judicial Officers and Proceedings in Civil Cases|Title I - Courts and Judicial Officers|Chapter 211e - Massachusetts Sentencing Commission|Section 4 - Review of Sentence

Section 4. (a) A defendant may file a notice of appeal for review of an otherwise final sentence if:  (1) the sentence was imposed in violation of law; or  (2) the sentence was imposed as a result of an incorrect application of the sentencing guidelines; or  (3) the departure upward from the applicable guideline range was an abuse of discretion; or  (4) the sentence was imposed for an offense for which there is no sentencing guideline and is plainly unreasonable.  (b) The commonwealth, with the personal approval of the attorney general or a district attorney, may appeal an otherwise final sentence if:  (1) the sentence was imposed in violation of law;  (2) the sentence was imposed as a result of an incorrect application of the sentencing guidelines;  (3) the departure downward from the applicable guideline range was an abuse of discretion; or  (4) the sentence was imposed for an offense for which there is no sentencing guideline and is plainly unreasonable.  (c) In the case of a plea agreement entered into pursuant to Rule twelve of the Massachusetts rules of criminal procedure:  (1) a defendant may not appeal a sentence unless the sentence imposed is greater than the sentence prescribed by the sentencing guidelines; and  (2) the commonwealth may not appeal a sentence unless the sentence imposed is less than the sentence prescribed by the sentencing guidelines.  (3) a sentence imposed by the court in accordance with the recommendation of either the defendant or the commonwealth may not be appealed by the party which made the recommendation; and a sentence imposed in accordance with a jointly-agreed recommendation may not be appealed by either the defendant or the commonwealth.  (d) Appeals from sentences imposed under the sentencing guidelines shall be conducted in accordance with the Massachusetts rules of appellate procedure.  (e) If imprisonment is imposed, the entry of an appeal under the provisions of this section shall not stay the execution of the sentence unless the judge imposing it, upon a showing of a reasonable likelihood of success, finds that execution of the sentence should be stayed pending final determination of the appeal.
MA Gen L ch 211f § 1 (2021)
2021 Massachusetts General Laws|Part III - Courts, Judicial Officers and Proceedings in Civil Cases|Title I - Courts and Judicial Officers|Chapter 211f - Office of Community Corrections|Section 1 - Definitions

Section 1. The following terms as used in this chapter shall have the following meanings:  ''Chief justice'', the chief justice of the trial court.  ''Commission'', the Massachusetts sentencing commission.  ''Commissioner'', the commissioner of probation.  ''Community corrections program'', any program that is operated by a state, local or private service agency, that has been deemed an appropriate intermediate sanctions program by the office of community corrections.  ''Intermediate sanctions program'', any program that has been determined to impose an appropriate sanction upon an offender for whom imprisonment may not be necessary or appropriate, including but not limited to standard probation, intensive supervision probation, community service, home confinement, weekend jail sentences, day reporting, residential programming, substance abuse treatment, restitution, means-based fines, continuing education, including but not limited to the ''Changing Lives Through Literature'' program administered by the trial court and the University of Massachusetts at Dartmouth, vocational training, special education, and psychological counseling.  ''Community corrections plan'', a written proposal submitted to the executive director of the office of community corrections for approval and funding as a community corrections program.  ''Court administrator'', the court administrator of the trial court.  ''Executive director'', the executive director of the office of community corrections.  ''Pretrial services plan'', a written proposal submitted to the executive director for approval and funding as a pretrial services program.  ''Pretrial services program'', any program that is operated by a state, local or private service agency that the office of community corrections has deemed appropriate for a person awaiting trial; provided, however, that pretrial service programs shall be a separate track of programming from community correction programs offered under section 3 of this chapter; provided further, that sanctions under said section 3 shall not be applicable to the pretrial service program track.
MA Gen L ch 211f § 2 (2021)
2021 Massachusetts General Laws|Part III - Courts, Judicial Officers and Proceedings in Civil Cases|Title I - Courts and Judicial Officers|Chapter 211f - Office of Community Corrections|Section 2 - Office of Community Corrections; Executive Director

Section 2. (a) There is hereby established subject to appropriation within the office of the commissioner of probation an office of community corrections, whose purpose is to establish a continuum of pretrial services programs and community corrections programs and services statewide. The goal of this chapter is to ensure and promote public safety by developing pretrial services programs and community corrections programs for appropriate offenders.  (b) The executive director of the office of community corrections shall be appointed by the commissioner of probation to establish, oversee and operate a statewide program of community corrections and pretrial services.  (c) The executive director shall operate subject to the direction and approval of the commissioner. Said executive director shall work in consultation with the commission, administrative office of the trial court, the department of corrections, the parole board and the county sheriffs to ensure consistency between sentencing guidelines and community corrections. The office shall, to the extent practicable, utilize existing resources of the administrative office of the Massachusetts courts for the purpose of avoiding unnecessary duplication.
MA Gen L ch 211f § 3 (2021)
2021 Massachusetts General Laws|Part III - Courts, Judicial Officers and Proceedings in Civil Cases|Title I - Courts and Judicial Officers|Chapter 211f - Office of Community Corrections|Section 3 - Sentence to Community Corrections Program; Duration; Conditions; Eligibility

Section 3. (a) Any court exercising jurisdiction is authorized to sentence any eligible offender to a community corrections program; provided, however, that the court designate the duration of the sentence of imprisonment that otherwise would have been imposed.  (b) The court may dictate the duration and conditions of the sentence in a community corrections program for any period of time consistent with existing law.  (c) A sentence to a community corrections program shall be imposed as a condition of probation consistent with chapters two hundred and seventy-six and two hundred and seventy-six A. The court may modify the sentence of an offender serving a sentence in a community corrections program in the same manner as if the offender had been placed on probation.  (d) The commissioner shall develop interim standards for the eligibility of offenders for community corrections, taking into consideration the following factors:  (1) the nature and circumstances of the offense;  (2) the offender's mental state at the time of the offense;  (3) the relationship, if any, between the offender and victim;  (4) the nature and degree of the harm caused by the offense;  (5) the community view of the gravity of the offense;  (6) the public concern generated by the offense;  (7) the age of the offender;  (8) the deterrent effect a particular sentence may have on the commission of the offense by others;  (9) the current incidence of the offense in the community and in the commonwealth as a whole;  (10) the role of the offender in cases involving multiple offenders;  (11) the mental and emotional condition of the offender;  (12) the offender's physical condition;  (13) the offender's family ties and responsibilities;  (14) the offender's community ties;  (15) the offender's degree of dependence upon criminal activity for a livelihood;  (16) the offender's character and personal history;  (17) the offender's amenability to correction, treatment, or supervision;  (18) the offender's past criminal history, including convictions, acquittals, guilty pleas, pleas of nolo contendere, dismissals and matters continued without a finding;  (19) the offender's arrest record;  (20) the offender's past history of violence.  No offender shall be eligible for sentencing to a community corrections program who is: (1) convicted of a crime that results in serious bodily harm or death to another person, excluding offenses in which negligence was the primary element, (2) convicted of rape, attempted rape, or sexual assault, or (3) convicted of a crime involving the use of a firearm.
MA Gen L ch 211f § 3a (2021)
2021 Massachusetts General Laws|Part III - Courts, Judicial Officers and Proceedings in Civil Cases|Title I - Courts and Judicial Officers|Chapter 211f - Office of Community Corrections|Section 3a - Participation in a Pretrial Services Program in Lieu of Bail or as Condition of Release

[Subsections (a) and (b) applicable as provided by 2018, 72, Sec. 18.]  Section 3A. (a) Participation in a pretrial services program may be ordered by the court, in lieu of bail or as a condition of release consistent with sections 57, 58 and 58A of chapter 276. The court may dictate the duration and conditions of the pretrial services program. Any conditions should be imposed to ensure return of the defendant to court or, where permitted by law, to assure the safety of any person or the community.  (b) The probation department may utilize pretrial services programs for pretrial supervision consistent with sections 87 and 87A of chapter 276, upon agreement by the person before the court who is charged with an offense or crime.  (c) If the sheriff who has custody of a person held on bail under section 57 or 58 of chapter 276 determines that the person would benefit from entering a pretrial services program, the sheriff shall provide a written recommendation of such determination to the court, the commissioner of probation, the prosecuting office and the person or the person's attorney, where applicable. The prosecuting office may notify any victim of the sheriff's recommendation upon receipt of such recommendation. If the commissioner of probation or the prosecuting office objects to such recommendation, the commissioner or prosecuting office shall file written objection with the court within 14 days of receipt of such notice. Upon receipt of such objection, the court may set the matter for hearing. After expiration of the time for filing objections and after hearing, if applicable, the court shall either decline to modify its earlier bail order or make an order under subsection (a) of this section authorizing the person's participation in a pretrial services program. In no event shall the person held on bail be ordered under this paragraph to enter a pretrial services program without that person's consent.  (d) Placement of a person in a pretrial services program shall require victim notification as required under subsection (t) of section 3 of chapter 258B.