Massachusetts § 127A Destruction of place of worship, etc.; threats; punishment

Massachusetts Statutes

§ 127A — Destruction of place of worship, etc.; threats; punishment

Massachusetts § 127A

Part IVCRIMES, PUNISHMENTS AND PROCEEDINGS IN CRIMINAL CASES

Title ICRIMES AND PUNISHMENTS

Ch. 266CRIMES AGAINST PROPERTY

This text of Massachusetts § 127A (Destruction of place of worship, etc.; threats; punishment) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Massachusetts primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook

Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 266, § 127A (2026).

Text

Section 127A. Whoever willfully, intentionally and without right, or wantonly and without cause, destroys, defaces, mars, or injures a church, synagogue or other building, structure or place used for the purpose of burial or memorializing the dead, or a school, educational facility or community center or the grounds adjacent to and owned or leased by any of the foregoing or any personal property contained in any of the foregoing shall be punished by a fine of not more than two thousand dollars or not more than three times the value of the property so destroyed, defaced, marred or injured, whichever is greater, or by imprisonment in a house of correction for not more than two and one-half years, or both; provided, however, that if the damage to or loss of such property exceeds five thousand

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Section 127A. Whoever willfully, intentionally and without right, or wantonly and without cause, destroys, defaces, mars, or injures a church, synagogue or other building, structure or place used for the purpose of burial or memorializing the dead, or a school, educational facility or community center or the grounds adjacent to and owned or leased by any of the foregoing or any personal property contained in any of the foregoing shall be punished by a fine of not more than two thousand dollars or not more than three times the value of the property so destroyed, defaced, marred or injured, whichever is greater, or by imprisonment in a house of correction for not more than two and one-half years, or both; provided, however, that if the damage to or loss of such property exceeds five thousand dollars, such person shall be punished by a fine of not more than three times the value of the property so destroyed, defaced, marred or injured or by imprisonment in a state prison for not more than five years, or both.Whoever threatens to burn, deface, mar, injure, or in any way destroy a church, synagogue or other building, structure, or place of worship, shall be punished by a fine of not more than one thousand five hundred dollars, or by imprisonment in a jail or house of correction for not more than one year, or both.