Overview
The Hampshire Sheriff’s Department (HSD) was established as a state agency on September 1, 1998 because Hampshire County was abolished as a form of government by Sections 1 and 12 of Chapter 34B of the Massachusetts General Laws. This legislation made the Sheriff an employee of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts; however, the Sheriff remains an elected official with administrative and operational control of the department.
Currently, HSD houses pretrial and sentenced inmates at its jail and house of correction at 205 Rocky Hill Road in Northampton. HSD offers programs to inmates, including vocational, educational, substance use disorder treatment, family preparation and parenting, and mental health programs, as well as a work release program for minimum-security inmates. According to inmate counts provided by HSD officials, as of June 30, 2017 the jail and house of correction housed 237 inmates.
Additionally, HSD has a Civil Process Division at 492 Pleasant Street in Northampton. The Civil Process Division serves legal documents in the county under Sections 11 and 12 of Chapter 37 of the General Laws.
HSD expended $14,446,516 for operational costs for fiscal year 2017 from its maintenance appropriation.
| Date published: | May 1, 2018 |
|---|