Introduction
The Massachusetts Department of Correction and the Massachusetts Sheriffs’ Offices are committed to promoting public safety by providing educational and rehabilitative program opportunities that contribute to the successful re-entry of offenders to the community. Offender programs are designed to reduce recidivism by addressing underlying issues associated with criminal behavior. The goal of offender programs is to enhance opportunities and outcomes for an individual's successful re-entry to their community.
The 2018 Criminal Justice Reform Act (CJR) requires the Secretary of the Executive Office of Public Safety and Security (EOPSS) to report on the participation and completion of evidence-based programs across custodial agencies in the Commonwealth. Data collection and reporting standards for sharing offender programs and treatment were established by 501 CMR 18. In compliance with these standards, custodial agencies report on whether an offender has participated in and completed evidence-based, educational, or rehabilitative programs while in the custody of a criminal justice agency. Further, custodial agencies indicate the name, type, and the outcome of participation in the program.
Although voluntary, program participation is encouraged for all offenders. Programming is assessment-driven and individualized treatment plans target specific risks and needs for each offender. The structure of program offerings is tailored to the needs of all offender populations. Accordingly, programming opportunities include classes focused on education, vocation, substance use disorder, anger management and self-help, among others. While program opportunities are available for all offenders whether pre-trial or sentenced, it is important to note that program completions and outcomes for pre-trial offenders are likely to vary significantly from sentenced offenders due to the nature of a pre-trial status (e.g., shorter times in custody, inconsistent attendance due to pre-trial hearings).
Through Cross-Tracking, for the first time, all custodial agencies across the Commonwealth are utilizing standardized definitions for program enrollments and program exits, resulting in the first comprehensive view of offender programs across all custodial agencies displaying data from offenders registering for programs from 2017 through 2022. Additionally, the dashboards display the distinct measures of program participation: total enrollments, unique enrollments, total program exits, unique program exits, and reason for exit.
About the Information Displayed Below
The dashboards display data on Massachusetts offenders who registered for a program while in custody from January 2017 to December 2022. Data from 2023 forward will be processed and displayed on the dashboard once complete. The offender program data displayed is created using several systems across the contributing partners, including, but not limited to:
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The Department of Correction (DOC) Inmate Management System (IMS)
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The County Sheriffs’ 12 independent Offender Management Systems (OMS) and Hampden County’s Jail Management System (JMS)
Given that data submitted by the participating custodial agencies predates the CJR data reporting standards outlined in the new governing regulations, EOPSS has taken great care to review and match the electronically available records from the various custodial agencies. A conservative method of matching records was used in developing the dashboard to ensure the maximum inclusion of programming data; however, specific data values may not have been consistently recorded in an electronically retrievable manner prior to the recent standardization efforts. Additionally, pursuant to Criminal Offender Record Information laws (CORI), the programming dashboard does not include any personally identifiable information and efforts have been made to provide all programming information that can be anonymized.
As a user, you can hover over data points to see more detailed information. You can also download the data through a link at the bottom of the page. For all dashboards, users can filter by agency or groups of agencies (Department of Correction or Sheriffs’ Offices by county), sex, age, and race/ethnicity. Further, programs are assigned to discrete programs (called program groups) and to broad program categories (called PSI program types). For more information on PSI programs, please see the FAQ.
An additional reference about offender programming in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts is prepared by the Massachusetts Sheriffs' Association each year. The Comprehensive Programs, Services, Interventions, and Community Reinvestments report provides details about offender programs at each Jail or House of Correction in the Commonwealth.
For more information about the dashboard, you can access FAQs here.
For any other questions, please write to CJ360help@mass.gov
Program Summary
This table provides an overview of programs offered in the Massachusetts Department of Correction and Sheriffs' Offices. Users can filter by specific agency or groups of agencies, programs (PSI program type, group, and name), program registration date, and by completable programs. Users can sort results by program name, group, PSI program type or agency as well. Program group refers to programs with similar objectives that are classified into a single program group, whereas program name refers to the specific program.
Program Enrollments
This chart and table show the total program enrollments and unique program enrollments for each year for the selected offender groups, program types, and agency. Total enrollments represent a count of all registrations for programs. Unique enrollments represent the number of offenders for the selected offender groups, program, and agency. Further, these offenders are identified solely by agency identifiers such as commitment numbers. The table shows the names and types of programs for which data are summarized.
Program Exits
These charts and table show the total program exits and unique program exits for each year for the selected offender groups, program types, and agency. Total exits represent a count of all exits for programs. Unique exits represent the number of offenders for the selected offender groups, program, and agency. Further, these offenders are identified solely by agency identifiers such as commitment numbers. The chart shows a summary of the reason for program exit along with the names and types of programs for which data are summarized.
Downloads
Revision History
| Details | Date |
|---|---|
| Published On | 12/01/2023 |