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Sheriffs tell state commission local facilities, reentry programs and MAT are central to reducing recidivism
Summary
At a meeting of the Special Commission on Correctional Consolidation and Collaboration, a delegation from the Massachusetts Sheriffs Association outlined county jails' growing pretrial role, program investments, opioid treatment offerings and budget pressures, and said local, specialized housing and reentry centers improve outcomes.
Sheriffs and county jail leaders told the Special Commission on Correctional Consolidation and Collaboration that local detention facilities now hold more people than the Massachusetts Department of Correction and that their programming and reentry work are central to lowering recidivism.
“Local is best,” Sheriff Nick Cocchi said as he opened the Massachusetts Sheriffs Association presentation to the commission. He and other sheriffs described a largely pretrial population in county facilities — “61% pretrial,” Cocchi said — and listed programs intended to stabilize people with substance use and serious mental illness as soon as they enter custody.
The sheriffs framed their presentation around three points: the operational differences between county houses of correction and the state Department of Correction; the breadth of rehabilitative and reentry programs in county facilities; and fiscal and staffing pressures that affect how those services are delivered. Sheriff Cocchi said county jails process many short stays and arrests: “In 2024, sheriffs had just under 28,100 admissions,”…
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