In ‘historic’ moment, MCI-Framingham prisoners testify live at moratorium hearing
By Sarah Betancourt June 27, 2023 A group of 20 women incarcerated at MCI-Framingham testified live on Zoom at a hearing on Monday — for the first time in legislative history. Clad in green uniforms, each woman sat in front of a camera in a white room and spoke in...
Column: What does a predator look like? Not what the haters want you to think.
By Yvonne Abraham Globe Columnist, What does a predator look like? The question has long been crucial for the cynics who fuel America’s culture wars, leveraging fear to win votes. It is also crucial to those of us who genuinely want to confront the scourge of...
New Hope Inc. CEO Diana Mancera Receives 2023 Visionary Voice Award
On Thursday, June 2, Jane Doe Inc. (JDI), the Massachusetts Coalition Against Sexual and Domestic Violence -- in partnership with the National Sexual Violence Resource Center (NSVRC) -- was thrilled to present Diana Mancera, CEO of New Hope Inc., with the 2023...
Proposed task force would address Mass. domestic violence records law found to shield abusers
May 30, 2023 by Ally Jarmanning State legislators are looking to make changes to a Massachusetts law that keeps secret all police records of domestic and sexual violence, after a WBUR investigation revealed the statute designed to protect victims has instead shielded...
EDITORIAL: Abuse takes many forms, and domestic violence laws should reflect them
Since state domestic violence laws were written, the understanding of what constitutes domestic abuse has evolved, and laws must keep up. Advocates make a strong case that the abuse many people, often women, experience from intimate partners is not adequately...
Hema Sarang-Sieminski Takes on Deputy Director Role at Jane Doe Inc.
BOSTON, April 4 – Today, Jane Doe Inc. (JDI), the Massachusetts Coalition Against Sexual Assault and Domestic Violence, announced that Hema Sarang-Sieminski, JDI’s current Policy Director, will assume the role of Deputy Director. Since joining JDI in January 2020,...
2023-2024 Legislative Advocacy Kickoff
Sexual and Domestic Violence Advocates Gather (Virtually!) to Launch2023-2024 Legislative Advocacy Season On Wednesday, March 15, 2023, at 1:30 p.m., Jane Doe Inc. (JDI), the Massachusetts Coalition Against Sexual Assault and Domestic Violence, will officially...
Columnist Carrie Baker: Cutting-edge domestic violence prevention — coercive control bills
By CARRIE N. BAKER Published: 2/22/2023 On Jan. 17, prosecutors in Stoughton charged Victor Carter with viciously murdering Amber Buckner, who was stabbed 30 times. Police found her with the handle of a 4-inch knife protruding from her right temple. The next...
JDI reflections on attacks on Asian community, Anti-Blackness, and other tragedies
A Call for Solidarity & Action Over the past few weeks, we have collectively born witness to a torrent of violence and loss. From the deadly attacks on Asian communities in California to the fatal beating of Tyre Nichols in Tennessee, the police killing of Sayed...
Community responds to 2nd suspected LGBTQ+ partner abuse-related homicide in Massachusetts in the past three months and other DV related deaths
Since January 1, 2022, there have been 27 incidents of domestic violence related deaths in Massachusetts, according to JDI's tracking. Two of these incidents involved members of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer (LGBTQ+) communities, underscoring the...
