Wrentham Resident Fights to Protect Children

When Christine Lozier-Jones decide to be apart of Protect Mass. Children (PMC), it was to make sure that no child who was abused would not go without support like she did. 

“It was a way for me to recover, heal and be able to do something positive for the children so that they have a voice and a say if something were to happen to them,” Lozier-Jones said.

When Lozier-Jones was a between 10-14 years old, she was the victim of sexual abuse at the hands of her father. Coming from a white collar family, everyone around her refused to believe her or take any action. 

“I told my mother, I even told the police and nobody did anything about it. I pretty much lived my life in my own hell because of what had happened,” Lozier-Jones said.

Finding PMC online, Lozier-Jones was soon a member of their board and at the forefront of supporting legislation that would help victims and put child rapists behind bars.

With much of the legislation backed by PMC was put into what would become Melissa’s Law, Lozier-Jones was one of the members who was at the State House lobbying officials

In addition, she also testified in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee to tell her story and show why the bill should be passed.

“We told them what happen, who did it, nobody helped us, and how it effected us out entire lives. It’s a big part of how Melissa’s Bill passed,” Lozier-Jones said.

"They took parts of our bill and put it in Melissa’s bill to get it through and it worked. I can’t even tell you the emotion," she continued. "There’s just no words to describe the feeling that we actually got this done and the people that hurt the children are going to be put in jail and stuck in jail."

It’s been a good month for PMC who saw major legislation passed as part of Melissa’s Law earlier this August. The law eliminates parole for a person who is convicted of about 40 violent crimes where the sentence was a minimum of three years. Crimes covered by the law include assault of a child under 16 with intent to commit rape, rape and abuse of a child under 16, previously convicted, and aggravated rape of child under 16 by force.

Not resting on the victories that came with Melissa’s Bill, PMC is now pushing for the passage of three House bills that would increase the penalty of forceable rape of a child under 14 to 30 years to life, a life sentence with no parol for any second offense, and a three strikes law which would carry a penalty of life in prison with no parole for anyone who commits three sex offenses.

In the Senate, the three strikes law is apart of Bill S.884 which also includes a mandatory 15 years in prison for forceable rape of a child under 16 and a sentence of 30 years to live in prison for rape of a child under 16 for repeat offenders.

Locally, State Senator Richard Ross has been a huge supporter of legislation pushed by PMC. Currently, Ross is a co-sponsor of Bill S.884 and was a co-sponsor of Melissa’s Law.

“He has been a huge help, huge,” Lozier-Jones said.

To get involved with PMC, they can be contacted through their official website or through the Wrentham chapter's Facebook page.