Sheriffs back study commission to revisit sentencing jurisdiction and placement between jails and state prisons

Barnstable County Sheriff Donna Buckley testified that the sheriffs of the Commonwealth support creating a commission to study and evaluate how sentencing jurisdiction is allocated between local houses of correction and the Department of Correction. Buckley said the commission should examine why the Commonwealth sends people to particular facilities and whether some sentences currently going to the DOC would better be served at the local level.

Buckley argued that, for many sentences that are not very long, local jails may provide more cost‑effective programming and reentry supports because sheriffs collaborate with community partners, nonprofits, and volunteers to prepare incarcerated people to reenter communities. She said the commission would allow policymakers to reassess why certain lengths of sentence are sent to DOC versus local custody and whether resources are being used effectively to reduce recidivism.

The sheriff announced that sheriffs will submit additional written testimony in support of the commission. No committee action on the proposal was recorded in the transcript during the hearing.