By Bob Katzen
The Massachusetts Department of Correction (DOC) announced its intention to shut down MCI-Concord, a medium-security men’s prison which currently operates at 50 percent capacity with an incarcerated population of approximately 300. The shutdown is proposed by Gov. Healey in her fiscal 2025 budget proposal. The shutdown needs legislative approval before it goes into effect.
The DOC said in a press release that the decision to end operations at MCI-Concord and relocate its staff and population is based on a “thorough assessment of decreased housing needs and the aging facility’s high maintenance costs.” It noted that the closing “allows the department to dispose of the property, making it available for non-correctional purposes and potential redevelopment to the benefit of the surrounding community.”
“During its first year, the Healey-Driscoll Administration has worked closely with the Legislature, community partners and advocates to invest in justice initiatives that have contributed to the lowest rates of incarceration and recidivism in decades,” said Public Safety and Security Secretary Terrence Reidy. “Strategically consolidating DOC resources makes financial sense and enables the department to build upon the proven, evidence-based rehabilitative programs that support successful reentry and improve outcomes.”
The Massachusetts Correction Officers Federated Union’s Executive Board announced it is adamantly against the closing of MCI-Concord or any other prison. ”The Executive Board feels that the closing of MCI-Concord or any other prison will burden our already violent and dangerous prisons,” the group said in a statement. “We are witnessing extreme and daily violence at the Souza-Baranowski Correctional Center [in Lancaster] after the closing of Walpole.”
The statement continued, “With over three hundred inmates at Concord our classification system will undoubtedly need to reclassify many of these and other inmates statewide. This will potentially place higher risk inmates in lower-level facilities, thus placing our officer’s safety at risk. We ask the governor, Public Safety Secretary and DOC Commissioner to halt any plans to close Concord until a comprehensive plan is in place.”