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| Former Mass. Men's Prison Facility Converted to Accommodate Female Offenders |
| By Metro West Daily News |
| Published: 11/08/2002 |
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With more space needed for female offenders, the state Department of Corrections has converted a men's facility to a women's facility. The DOC hosted a ribbon cutting ceremony recently at the South Middlesex Correctional Center to announce the reopening of the facility. The facility operates as a minimum and pre-release center for women offenders, and includes 175 beds. It is located adjacent to MCI-Framingham. 'All we had for women was MCI-Framingham,' said Abbe Nelligan. 'This is something we can use to reduce our security rating at the prison, and Framingham is a facility that is rich in programs. It seemed like an appropriate location, and it's keeping with where most of our female offenders are being kept.' The conversion to a women's facility did not cost the state any money, Nelligan said. The male prisoners were dispersed to other facilities in the state, she said. For a prisoner to be eligible for work in the community, they must be within 18 months of their release dates. Eligible prisoners' records are reviewed for accomplishments and responsibility levels before they are granted one of the state's 600 pre-release positions. Unlike minimum-security prisoners, who work in the community but are under the supervision of officers, pre-release center inmates venture unaccompanied into the community on work passes, and earn about the same money as non-inmates are offered. No violent criminals or sex offenders will be located in the center, Nelligan said. 'That's all very significant with keeping with public safety and reintegration,' she said. The facility also offers numerous programs that can benefit the soon-to-be- released offenders. Some of the programs include substance abuse prevention, parenting classes, auto repair, horticultural and transitional programs. 'The facility allows women offenders an opportunity to return to the community with valuable and marketable skills,' said DOC Commissioner Michael T. Maloney. |
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