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Sheriffs warn closing regional women's facilities could harm mother-child reunification
Summary
Sheriffs told the commission that regional women's facilities provide gender-specific programming and mother-child visits that aid reentry, and cautioned against consolidating sites that would increase distance from families.
Sheriffs appearing before the commission urged caution toward proposals to consolidate county facilities that hold women, saying that proximity to families and gender-responsive programming are central to successful reentry.
"There'is nothing worse than having a small area carved out in the men's facility for women," Barnstable County Sheriff Donna Buckley said, explaining why regional women''s centers were built to provide gender-specific housing and programming. "Gender-specific programming is important."
Why it matters: Commissioners are examining consolidation and regional approaches. Sheriffs argued that moving women farther from their families would disrupt mother-child contact and family reunification programs and could undercut reentry outcomes.
Barnstable's sheriff described the county's role as a regional site: Barnstable houses women from Nantucket, Dukes and Essex counties and coordinates pretrial and sentenced placements and reentry planning with providers in Essex. Other counties described specialized units, including mental-health stabilization and emergency stabilization for women.
Sheriffs also discussed mother-child visits, contact visits where allowed, and dedicated step-down pathways from medium to minimum custody and day reporting. One sheriff said some women prefer not to return to their pre-arrest communities and that regional placements can be chosen to support safer reintegration when possible.
Commission discussion: Members asked how regional sites are staffed and how placements are coordinated across counties. Sheriffs said arrangements are mixed: some regional facilities house both pretrial detainees and sentenced women; others are configured differently depending on county needs. Norfolk County, sheriffs said, has agreements covering many local police departments.
Ending: The commissioners noted the need for a deeper dive into services for women, including size and mechanics of regional placements, and asked staff to schedule a focused presentation on women''s services at a future meeting.
