WALPOLE, Mass. — Prisoners will be relocated from one of the state’s maximum security prisons as Massachusetts marks its lowest prison population in 35 years, the Department of Correction said Thursday.
Housing operations at MCI-Cedar Junction in Walpole will be suspended over the next two years. The DOC said the prison currently operates at 68 percent capacity with a population of about 525 inmates. It serves as the DOC’s reception and diagnostic center, where newly incarcerated men are evaluated for security classification and await transfer to the appropriate facility.
The prison also houses a small operational workforce of fewer than 50 men in a medium security setting and maintains two units for the most serious security concerns, the Department Disciplinary Unit and the Behavioral Management Unit. The latter two units will remain at Cedar Junction until 2024 while the DOC identifies a suitable alternative for those prisoners.
“The Baker-Polito Administration has worked closely with the Legislature, community partners and advocates to create successful reentry programs and implement meaningful reforms to criminal justice,” said Public Safety and Security Secretary Terrence Reidy. “The fruit of that work -- the lowest level of incarceration in decades -- was achieved by providing at-risk individuals with pathways to positive life choices, creating new re-entry services, and empowering returning citizens to rebuild their lives in meaningful ways. It also allows us to consolidate the number of operational facilities and renew our focus on delivering effective services to women and men in DOC’s care.”
The first phase of the three-part plan, moving the prison’s reception and diagnostic center to Souza-Baranowski Correctional Center in Lancaster, will start in the next 60-90 days. Prisoners currently living at Cedar Junction awaiting classification will complete the standard process and be transferred to an appropriate facility. Prison staff will remain in place to support limited ongoing operations.
During the second phase, inmates living in the Behavioral Management Unit will be relocated to comparable units in other state facilities. The final phase of the plan involves dissolving the Department Disciplinary Unit.
The decision aligns with the DOC’s efforts to eliminate restrictive housing and reform its approach to discipline. In reports from 2017-2020, the Vera Institute for Justice found that the state’s incarceration rate was the lowest in the nation, decreasing by more than 2,000 during the COVID-19 pandemic. There are currently about 6,000 people incarcerated in Massachusetts, which the DOC said is a “record low.”
“DOC remains committed to stewarding taxpayer resources responsibly and fulfilling our rehabilitation-focused mission,” DOC Commissioner Carol Mici said. “This decision, and the subsequent consolidation of resources across fewer locations, allows us to eliminate redundancies and deepen our investments in programming, staffing, and services.”
Cedar Junction, formerly known as MCI-Walpole, opened in 1955. The DOC said it identified about $30 million in necessary repairs to its aging infrastructure and $22 million in electrical upgrades, which contributed to its decision to suspend housing operations.
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