Overview
The Massachusetts Department of Correction (DOC) was established under Section 1 of Chapter 350 of the Acts of 1919 and Section 1 of Chapter 27 of the Massachusetts General Laws. DOC is responsible for operating the Commonwealth’s prison system and is overseen by the Executive Office of Public Safety and Security. According to DOC’s Program Description Booklet, published April 2024, DOC’s mission is “to promote public safety by managing offenders while providing care and appropriate Programs in preparation for successful reentry into the community,” and its vision statement is “to effect positive behavioral change in order to eliminate violence, victimization and recidivism.”
DOC operated 15 correctional facilities across the Commonwealth (see Appendix) during the audit period. According to DOC press releases dated June 2023 and July 2024, 2 of these 15 correctional facilities were permanently closed because the aging facilities became too costly to maintain. Massachusetts Correctional Institution (MCI)—Cedar Junction in South Walpole closed on June 16, 2023, and MCI—Concord closed on June 28, 2024. As of January 1, 2024, DOC was responsible for a total of 6,148 incarcerated individuals (I/I), including civilly committed, pre-trial, and criminally sentenced individuals, and DOC had approximately 4,382 employees. DOC’s correctional facilities consist of four levels of security: maximum, medium, minimum, and pre-release. DOC maintains accreditation through the American Correctional Association every three years and provides all treatment to I/Is through contractual healthcare personnel. Healthcare services are performed in accordance with the General Laws, the standards of the National Commission on Correctional Health Care, and the regulations of applicable state organizations/agencies, including but not limited to, the Department of Public Health and the Department of Mental Health.
During the audit period, all medical, dental, and mental health services at DOC facilities were provided by a third-party vendor (Wellpath, LLC) through a Commonwealth Standard Contract, beginning July 1, 2018. The contractor2 was selected through a competitive bid process using the state’s online procurement management system. The contract term was for five years (July 1, 2018 through June 30, 2023). The contract was amended for one option to renew for one year—through June 30, 2024, the last day of the audit period. On July 1, 2024, DOC began a new five-year contract with VitalCore Strategies, LLC.
DOC Appropriations
DOC’s budget appropriations for the audit period were as shown in the table below.
| Fiscal Year | Appropriation |
|---|---|
| 2024 | $809,510,687 |
| 2023 | $775,564,113 |
Initial Healthcare Screenings and Informed Consent
All I/Is in DOC’s custody go through an initial intake process delivered by DOC staff members and healthcare vendor employees. All pre-trial and criminally sentenced individuals go through the initial intake process at one of two correctional facilities, MCI—Framingham (for women) and Souza-Baranowski Correctional Center in Shirley (for men), as directed by the court. Civilly committed individuals go through an initial healthcare intake process at Bridgewater State Hospital, the Massachusetts Treatment Center in Bridgewater, or the Massachusetts Alcohol and Substance Abuse Center at Plymouth, depending on their specific needs. The initial intake process includes booking, orientation, informed consent, initial healthcare assessments, and initial educational assessments. DOC communicates and explains the procedures to each I/I on how to access healthcare services that all I/Is have the right to use. During intake, I/Is’ primary language and any Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) accommodation requests are noted by DOC staff members in DOC’s I/I database and hardcopy files. When an I/I is transferred to another correctional facility, they undergo an additional intake and orientation that is specific to the new facility. Our audit testing focused only on the initial healthcare intake process at MCI—Framingham, Souza-Baranowski Correctional Center, Bridgewater State Hospital, the Massachusetts Treatment Center, and the Massachusetts Alcohol and Substance Abuse Center at Plymouth.
Healthcare vendor employees explain the written information contained in the general healthcare informed consent form to each I/I upon admission. Additionally, healthcare vendor employees also provide ADA accommodations, such as a consent form in large print for I/Is with visual impairments, at this time to I/Is who require these services. The informed consent and acknowledgment of receipt are provided in both English and Spanish; however, language interpretation is available as well (in Portuguese, French, American Sign Language, etc.) through video remote interpreting. Institution staff members use, as appropriate, auxiliary aids and translation services to ensure that I/Is understand the procedures for gaining access to healthcare. For I/Is with visual impairments, the forms are read to them and/or the text is enlarged, depending on their needs and abilities. DOC staff members note in an I/I’s medical record if interpreter services were used during the initial healthcare screening. Any I/Is who refuse to go through orientation, informed consent, and/or initial healthcare assessments or examinations sign a refusal form. If these individuals also decline to sign the refusal form, a clinical staff member and an additional staff member have to witness the refusal and note that the I/I declined to sign the refusal form. Medical and mental health staff members reapproach I/Is who initially refuse to sign to get their signature at a later date.
Educational Counseling and Placement
According to DOC management, DOC emphasizes the positive impact that educational and vocational programming has on lowering the risk of recidivism. I/Is who participate in DOC’s educational and/or vocational programs while in custody have opportunities to gain educational credit such as certificates, high school equivalency diplomas, and post-secondary degrees, as well as enhance their vocation skills and work experience. I/Is who participate in these programs typically have better chances of securing employment before or shortly after their reentry.
During entry to DOC and after the initial healthcare screening, an I/I goes through a series of educational assessments to gain a baseline understanding of their experience and needs. This begins with DOC education staff members asking an I/I if they have a high school diploma (HSD), high school equivalency (HSE), vocational licensure, certificates, and/or post-secondary degree. DOC then determines whether DOC education staff members need to obtain official high school transcripts. DOC administers the Test of Adult Basic Education (TABE) to measure an I/I’s education function level to get a better understanding of their reading, writing, math, and English language proficiency. This test occurs upon a criminally sentenced individual’s initial entry to either MCI—Framingham or the Souza-Baranowski Correctional Center and gives DOC education staff members a baseline against which to measure an I/I’s continued growth while in custody.
At reception/intake, the initial recommendation for program services is automatically generated in DOC’s prison population database (PPD) based on whether an I/I has already received their HSD or HSE. On an I/I’s PPD record is a system-generated need area, which is either “academic education” or “post-secondary/vocational services.” I/Is who have a verified HSE or HSD, but who have a vocational need, will have an automatic “post-secondary/vocational services” recommendation, and I/Is who do not have an HSE or HSD will have an “academic education” recommendation automatically generated in the system. If DOC later finds out that an I/I has an HSD or HSE, this initial recommendation of “academic education” would be changed to “post-secondary/vocational services.”
Once DOC has the results of a TABE, it can begin to place an I/I into a particular individualized plan and/or waitlist. I/Is who do not have an HSD or HSE are placed in the appropriate classes based on their TABE results to work toward an HSE. Once an I/I passes the High School Equivalency Test, they have completed the program.
An I/I’s transfer to another facility depends on educational, vocational, and behavioral programming availability, as well as their specific security classification (maximum, medium, minimum, or pre-release). Each facility’s head teacher regularly monitors educational and vocational waitlists. DOC staff members move an I/I into a program when a spot becomes available and based on priority date, because of limited class sizes. DOC measures priority based on I/Is who are going to be released from incarceration sooner—I/Is who are toward the end of their sentence are generally more likely to be enrolled in the programs before I/Is who are just beginning their sentence. However, DOC does still offer I/Is with life sentences opportunities for educational or vocational programming because these programs provide them with stability and positively impact their well-being and adjustment to life in prison.
DOC provides ongoing counseling and placement for educational and vocational programming. Teachers, head teachers, college and career coordinators, and correctional program officers (CPOs) all provide guidance and career counseling, which occurs on an annual basis. Before each classification hearing3 for each I/I, the I/I meets with a CPO to go over their recommended plan, and if they agree, they sign and date the personalized program plan. An I/I can refuse to participate in educational and vocational programming, but DOC staff members reapproach I/Is who refuse to participate to discuss the importance of programming opportunities. Before beginning an academic or vocational program, an I/I must agree to the enrollment, attendance, and performance expectations of the academic or vocational program they wish to begin. They do this by signing an Academic/Vocational Expectation form before the start of the program or academic semester.
Every I/I is provided with their own DOC-issued tablet at all DOC facilities, even if they are not enrolled in an educational or vocational program. According to DOC management, these tablets allow flexibility and additional opportunities and resources for I/Is to succeed in their programs. They also allow teachers to provide personalized help, assessments, and feedback virtually. I/Is have their own usernames and passwords to log in to their tablets, and they have 24/7 access to them. The tablets do not have access to the internet, but I/Is can communicate with staff members and the central office and are able to access a variety of academic content, reentry information, library resources, veteran benefit information, and assistive technology information.
An I/I with ADA accommodation(s) or limited English proficiency can also use auxiliary aids and translation services throughout their incarceration, not just when receiving healthcare services. American Sign Language translators, large print forms, braille forms, and other accommodations are also available for I/Is with hearing and/or visual impairments. Special education accommodations are available for the High School Equivalency Test,andDOC’s first special educator was hired during the audit period (in August 2023). DOC offers classes for I/Is who speak English as a second language, which are divided into three levels: basic, intermediate, and advanced.
For I/Is who state that they have or had an individualized education program (IEP) before their incarceration, the special education team confirms the I/I’s IEP with outside local education agencies (LEAs) so that they can incorporate those recommendations and accommodations into their work with the incarcerated student. DOC also partners with the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) to help track down I/Is’ IEPs. For I/Is who are under the age of 22 and have active IEPs, DOC notifies DESE that these individuals are in their custody, and, if the incarcerated student does not already have their HSD or HSE, DESE has to provide their education by having a staff member from an outside LEA work with the student at a DOC facility or virtually through their tablet for special education services. For I/Is over 22 years of age who historically received special education services, DOC still tries to obtain their IEPs and provides reasonable accommodations to ensure that they can succeed in their educational programming while in DOC’s custody.
| Date published: | December 19, 2025 |
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