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Massachusetts DOC details reentry, health contracts, education and tablet rollout to commission
Summary
Commissioners heard a broad briefing from Massachusetts Department of Correction leaders on population trends, medical and programming contracts, education and tablet initiatives, and the department's move away from restrictive housing.
Sean Jenkins, commissioner for the Massachusetts Department of Correction, told the Criminal Justice Reform Commission on Monday that the department has reduced its incarcerated population while expanding clinical and programmatic services.
Jenkins said the DOC currently oversees about 6,100 people in custody, down from roughly 10,000 in 2016, and described the department as “a health care provider.”
The presentation reviewed the system’s facility mix (including maximum, medium and treatment sites), ongoing transitions of specialized programs, and investments the department says are intended to support reentry and reduce recidivism.
Jenkins and Deputy Commissioner Mitzi Peterson described the DOC’s portfolio of services, starting with health care. “We are a health care provider,” Jenkins said, noting annual contracts the department characterized together at roughly $300 million for prison health care, medication‑assisted treatment and treatment services at regional state hospital sites.
Peterson said the department conducts initial, individualized assessments for everyone entering custody and uses those…
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