Governor's Council is an 8-member body that approves state judges, Parole Board members, and Industrial Accident Board members.  Paul DePalo is an attorney, Special Education teacher who developed and taught in alternative programing for at-risk teens, father of two daughters, and member of the Worcester Planning Board.

Crime prevention starts in juvenile court: let's end the trauma-to-prison pipeline.

Kids dealing with trauma, abuse, and lack of stability are most likely to be referred to our courts. Often, they're referred to the courts over behavior for which children with a stable homelife would merely be grounded. Once in the system, consequences for typical teenage behavior escalate, and statistics show that these kids are likely to be in jail as adults. We spend $60k/year to lock someone up, when we could spend far less early in these kids' lives to put them on paths of opportunity, not of incarceration.

Public safety includes tackling mental health and addiction: evidence-based diversion and rehabilitation programs save lives, save money, and reduce recidivism.

Mental health and addiction have been impacting our communities and justice system for decades. Yet, we've been removing mental health experts from the Parole Board- my vote on the Council will reverse that trend.

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Our Parole Board, beside shedding mental health experts, is nearly all-white and all-prosecutor. It also has not held a clemency hearing in years, in spite of hundreds of applications. I will insist on a Parole Board that does its job and consists of multiple professional backgrounds that intersect with the justice system.

A diverse and tolerant Commonwealth: address systemic racism, and protect women's and LGBTQ rights.

We need a judiciary that reflects the vibrant diversity of our Commonwealth, and especially one that reflects the population caught up in our criminal justice system, which is disproportionately Black and Latino. (In fact, Massachusetts has the highest incarceration rate in the country.) 

We also need parity for women on the bench. I'll insist on a judiciary with diverse perspectives and life experiences.

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With President Trump and Mitch McConnell filling our federal courts  with young, idealogical, lifetime appointed judges, I'll insist on Massachusetts judges who will protect women's rights, workers' rights, and civil rights for everyone in our inclusive Commonwealth.