Overview
The Suffolk County Sheriff’s Department (SCSD) was established as an independent state agency on January 1, 2010, pursuant to Section 3 of Chapter 61 of the Acts of 2009. According to Section 4 of Chapter 61 of the Acts of 2009,
All functions, duties, and responsibilities of the office of a transferred sheriff pursuant to this act including, but not limited to, the operation and management of the county jail and house of correction and any other statutorily authorized functions of that office, are hereby transferred from the county to the commonwealth.
According to SCSD’s internal control plan,
The primary mission of SCSD . . . is: to enforce the laws of the Commonwealth and to serve and protect the citizens of Suffolk County; to strengthen public safety through corrections and providing specialized support services to all criminal justice agencies; and to maintain the safe and secure custody and control of inmates and detainees while offering extensive rehabilitation opportunities to effectively reduce offender recidivism.
As of June 30, 2024, SCSD had approximately 900 employees, including almost 700 correctional or jail officers at the Suffolk County Jail or the Suffolk County House of Correction (HOC). In fiscal years 2022, 2023, and 2024, SCSD’s annual state appropriations were approximately $114.5 million, $123.9 million, and $125.5 million, respectively. In addition to its state appropriations, SCSD received the federal funding outlined in the table below to support its programs for these fiscal years.
| Program | Fiscal Year 2022 | Fiscal Year 2023 | Fiscal Year 2024 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adult Basic Education | $131,733 | $121,624 | $119,401 | $372,758 |
| Substance Use Disorder Grant | 65,607 | 67,757 | — | 133,364 |
| Human Immunodeficiency Virus Grant | 25,762 | 5,896 | — | 31,658 |
| State Opioid Response Grant | — | 5,415 | — | 5,415 |
| Total | $223,102 | $200,692 | $119,401 | $543,195 |
SCSD operates the Suffolk County HOC at 20 Bradston Street in Boston. The Suffolk County HOC was opened in 1991 and is used for the care of inmates in SCSD’s custody1 for up to two and one-half years. As of June 30, 2024, there were 625 inmates in custody, 141 of whom were female and 484 of whom were male.
SCSD also operates the Suffolk County Jail at 200 Nashua Street in Boston, which was opened in 1990 and houses male pretrial detainees. As of June 30, 2024, there were 627 male pretrial detainees housed at the Suffolk County Jail.
SCSD offers its sentenced inmates and pretrial detainees various programs at both facilities to prepare them for life after incarceration. For example, SCSD offers social service programs, which include yoga, meditation, and parenting classes; religious service programs, which include weekly bible study, worship services, and spiritual support groups; and women’s programs. The focus of these programs is to address topics such as reentry and life skills, anger management, and recovery.
Social Services Programs
Section 936.03 of Title 103 of the Code of Massachusetts Regulations (CMR) requires county correctional facilities, such as those managed by SCSD, to provide inmates with social service programs and to have written policies and procedures over these programs. Additionally, according to 103 CMR 936.03(2), SCSD is annually required to assess the needs of its inmates to ensure that its programs and services align with inmates’ identified needs. The agency provides a range of programs and services to inmates in its custody to promote the health and development of each individual and provide opportunities, including, but not limited to, counseling, recreation, and educational or vocational services based on this annual assessment.
Educational Qualifications of Social Service Administrators
According to 103 CMR 936.03(4), SCSD must ensure that its social service programs are administered and supervised by personnel with a minimum of a bachelor’s degree in social or behavioral sciences or a related field. SCSD reviews the educational credentials of candidates and performs a background check to ensure that these educational requirements are met before the candidates are hired or promoted to administrative/supervisory roles over social service programs.
Orientation
According to 103 CMR 936.03(5), SCSD must ensure that inmates receive an orientation conducted by a social service staff member within one calendar week of admission. SCSD provides orientation to its inmates within 72 hours of admission or within one week for transfers. Upon completion of orientation, each inmate signs the Inmate Orientation Record to acknowledge that they attended orientation and received an Inmate Guide that explains facility policies and procedures.
Counselor/Caseworker and Crisis Intervention
According to 103 CMR 936.03(6), SCSD must ensure that a counselor or caseworker is assigned to every sentenced inmate. During the orientation process, SCSD’s Classification Department performs a review and assigns a caseworker to every sentenced inmate within 72 hours, in accordance with SCSD’s Social Services Policy S470.
According to 103 CMR 936.03(7), “pretrial detainees may have a counselor or caseworker assigned upon request, or when deemed appropriate by [SCSD]. Crisis intervention shall be available to all individuals held in the county correctional facility.” Crisis intervention services from SCSD include emergency access to psychotropic medications, mental health watches, referrals to inpatient psychiatric facilities, and other emergency mental health services.
SCSD’s Social Services Policy S470 requires all sentenced inmates and pretrial detainees to have access to crisis intervention services by qualified medical professionals who are onsite at both facilities 24/7.
Vocational Program Policies
According to 103 CMR 936.02, county correctional facilities are required to provide inmates with academic and vocational education programs. According to 103 CMR 936.02(2), SCSD is required to have written policies and procedures outlining inmate access to vocational training programs that are relevant to the local job market. SCSD has policies and procedures related to vocational training programs that SCSD distributes to vocational education staff members.
Academic and Vocational Staff Members
According to 103 CMR 936.02(3), SCSD is required to ensure that all academic and vocational education staff members have met certification requirements or are working toward those certifications, as outlined by the Commonwealth’s Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. SCSD reviews candidates’ credentials to ensure that candidates meet the certification requirements before they are hired or promoted to instruct academic or vocational educational programs.
Academic and Vocational Course Placement
According to 103 CMR 936.02(4) and (5), SCSD must place sentenced inmates in the phase of educational and vocational programs that align with their needs and abilities. This determination is based on the results of SCSD’s academic and vocational counseling and allows sentenced inmates to start academic or vocational programs and proceed through these programs at their own pace. All sentenced inmates in SCSD custody receive an educational assessment and have access to educational programs, as well as vocational counseling and training. SCSD’s Classification Department reviews the results of the educational assessment with sentenced inmates during counseling and recommends vocational and/or educational programs. These recommendations are documented as proof of counseling in SCSD’s inmate information system.
According to SCSD’s website, sentenced inmates at the Suffolk County HOC are offered the following programs and services:
- education, which includes career counseling, literacy courses, and English courses (for speakers of other languages);
- vocational education in areas such as auto repair, culinary arts, and computer literacy; and
- community work programs, which allow sentenced inmates to participate in community restitution by providing custodial maintenance, landscaping, and other services through various state agencies, such as the Department of Conservation and Recreation.
Substance Use Disorder Treatment Programs
According to 103 CMR 936.03, SCSD is required to provide sentenced inmates with social service programs that include substance use disorder treatment and to have written policies and procedures over these programs. SCSD has established policies and procedures related to counseling and program services for substance use. SCSD performs inquiries with sentenced inmates during the classification process that allows them to disclose any substance use and to request substance use disorder treatment and/or enroll in programs.
Sentenced inmates and pretrial detainees at both SCSD facilities are offered substance use disorder and recovery programs, which allow sentenced inmates to receive counseling and treatment for alcohol and narcotic use. SCSD offers a Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT) Program that provides sentenced inmates treatment for opioid and alcohol use disorders. The MAT Program provides sentenced inmates with care upon admission to an SCSD facility until they are discharged. The MAT program includes referrals for care upon release. Sentenced inmates participating in the MAT Program are required to sign a consent to participate form, participate in individual and group counseling, and attend treatment programs.
Inmate Records
SCSD uses an information system to track and manage information on sentenced inmates and pretrial detainees in its custody. During the process of admitting sentenced inmates and pretrial detainees, one of SCSD’s booking officers enters information from a mittimus2 into the system.
Electronic Medical Record Management System
SCSD uses an electronic medical record management system to manage inmates’ medical records. Medical staff members use electronic forms to collect health data from sentenced inmates and pretrial detainees, such as their medical history, ongoing and past treatments, mental health conditions, medications, and scheduled appointments.
During the audit period, SCSD facilities provided healthcare through a contract with a third-party vendor from March 1, 2021 through January 31, 2022, at the Suffolk County Jail and from March 1, 2021 through June 12, 2022 at the Suffolk County HOC. Subsequently, SCSD provided healthcare through a contract with a different third-party vendor from February 1, 2022 through June 30, 2024 at the Suffolk County Jail and June 13, 2022 through June 30, 2024 at the Suffolk County HOC. SCSD’s “Request for Responses: Comprehensive Health Services to Suffolk County Sheriff’s Department Offenders,” dated November 1, 2022, outlines the following responsibilities of its healthcare vendor:
5.2.2 Role of the Contractor
The Contractor shall provide services to all patients in the custody of SCSD.
The Contractor shall be solely responsible for making all decisions with respect to the type, timing and level of services needed by patients’. This includes, without limitation, the determination of whether a patient is in need of clinical care, inpatient hospitalization, and/or referral to an outside specialist or otherwise needs specialized care. Except as herein otherwise provided, the Contractor shall be the sole supplier and/or coordinator of all medical, mental health, and dental services under this Contract, and, as such, shall have the sole authority and responsibility for the implementation, modification and continuation of any and all health care for patients.
The Contractor shall provide all means of addressing the serious medical, dental and mental health needs of the patient population based upon clinical assessments of the individual patient in a manner that is cost effective and consistent with community standards of care.
Sick Call Requests
According to 103 CMR 932.09(1), “Written policy and procedure shall provide for continuous response to health care requests and that sick call[s], conducted by a physician or other qualified health personnel, is available to each inmate.”
According to Section VII(A) of SCSD Policy S604, “All inmates shall have the opportunity, through the daily sick call process, to confidentially request medical assistance or health care services for non-emergent illnesses or injury.”
During the audit period, the sick call process was administered by SCSD’s healthcare vendor.
To request healthcare services, a sentenced inmate or pretrial detainee completes a sick call form, called the Health Service Request Form (HSRF), and states the type of service requested (medical, dental, or mental health). The sentenced inmate or pretrial detainee fills out the date that they complete HSRF and signs the form before submitting it in a secure lockbox in their housing unit or handing it directly to a healthcare staff member during daily medication passes. Healthcare staff members pick up HSRFs daily and evaluate them for the urgency of the medical request within 24 hours. All requests that are evaluated as emergencies are responded to immediately, and problems beyond the expertise of qualified healthcare professionals3 (QHPs) are referred to appropriate healthcare providers. For all non-emergency HSRFs, a face-to-face encounter with a QHP is conducted within 48 hours after the receipt of the HSRF during the weekday and within 72 hours of the receipt on weekends. QHPs provide treatment and schedule follow-up appointments, if deemed necessary. The responding QHP documents that sick call visits are made in the sentenced inmates’ and pretrial detainees’ medical records within SCSD’s electronic medical record management system.
| Date published: | December 24, 2025 |
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