Returning Inmates: Closing the Public Safety Gap

Massachusetts Release Data, 1989-1999                            
(County figures based on sentenced commitments and beginning/end of year HOC inmate populations)                            
                             
COUNTY RELEASE DATA                            
Facility 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999      
Barnstable HOC                            
Daily count 1/1 92 96 114 100 110 137 181 218 229 201 197      
Sentenced commitments 470 464 439 471 488 557 665 700 669 635 546      
Daily count 12/31 96 111 101 112 132 178 222 229 203 197 206      
                             
Releases 466 449 452 459 466 516 624 689 695 639 537     37%
Berkshire HOC                            
Daily count 1/1 74 103 93 112 115 143 142 179 189 181 178      
Sentenced commitments 400 456 533 490 581 574 637 710 616 576 569      
Daily count 12/31 95 92 111 129 151 144 182 200 183 184 131      
                             
Releases 379 467 515 473 545 573 597 689 622 573 616     51%
Bristol HOC                            
Daily count 1/1 197 287 327 447 461 597 586 659 714 820 746      
Sentenced commitments 1,111 1,176 1,486 1,772 1,794 2,264 2,309 2,525 2,655 1,979 1,988      
Daily count 12/31 279 315 438 470 932 583 672 704 826 754 720      
                             
Releases 1,029 1,148 1,375 1,749 1,323 2,278 2,223 2,480 2,543 2,045 2,014     99%
Dukes HOC                            
Daily count 1/1 10 16 7 11 11 13 14 24 19 17 23      
Sentenced commitments 55 53 39 36 35 33 50 40 36 48 38      
Daily count 12/31 15 7 11 11 13 13 25 19 17 23 25      
                             
Releases 50 62 35 36 33 33 39 45 38 42 36     -16%
Essex HOC                            
Daily count 1/1 261 207 172 322 562 550 534 525 523 719 609      
Sentenced commitments 1,269 1,275 1,741 1,530 1,429 1,450 1,472 1,967 1,901 1,731 1,536      
Daily count 12/31 213 178 323 522 537 536 525 517 722 614 620      
                             
Releases 1,317 1,304 1,590 1,330 1,454 1,464 1,481 1,975 1,702 1,836 1,525     39%
Franklin HOC                            
Daily count 1/1 30 42 71 60 71 79 91 95 81 104 94      
Sentenced commitments 217 258 266 252 261 289 303 257 255 283 245      
Daily count 12/31 43 74 62 74 78 88 93 83 107 97 90      
                             
Releases 204 226 275 238 254 280 301 269 229 290 249     42%
Hampden HOC                            
Daily count 1/1 423 316 322 374 705 958 993 997 1,102 1,207 1,251      
Sentenced commitments 1,431 1,539 1,772 2,001 1,931 2,104 2,409 2,293 2,286 2,484 2,111      
Daily count 12/31 356 321 374 717 943 997 1,007 1,106 1,213 1,245 1,098      
                             
Releases 1,498 1,534 1,720 1,658 1,693 2,065 2,395 2,184 2,175 2,446 2,264     63%
Hampshire HOC                            
Daily count 1/1 198 211 205 224 212 214 216 206 220 205 174      
Sentenced commitments 361 395 406 394 392 365 401 400 413 399 310      
Daily count 12/31 207 204 225 215 214 218 205 222 207 177 189      
                             
Releases 352 402 386 403 390 361 412 384 426 427 295     21%
Middlesex HOC                            
Daily count 1/1 750 820 778 820 817 852 889 1,002 1,002 1,120 1,087      
Sentenced commitments 2,508 2,469 2,556 2,553 2,501 2,599 2,847 2,634 2,578 2,349 2,125      
Daily count 12/31 844 777 817 828 844 896 1,009 1,019 1,160 1,096 951      
                             
Releases 2,414 2,512 2,517 2,545 2,474 2,555 2,727 2,617 2,420 2,373 2,261     -2%
Norfolk HOC                            
Daily count 1/1 146 142 166 152 293 332 272 282 301 335 351      
Sentenced commitments 1,003 1,103 1,136 978 1,060 1,158 1,251 1,180 1,213 1,268 1,110      
Daily count 12/31 136 163 150 297 324 272 282 304 338 349 368      
                             
Releases 1,013 1,082 1,152 833 1,029 1,218 1,241 1,158 1,176 1,254 1,093     24%
Plymouth HOC                            
Daily count 1/1 246 273 240 245 218 241 417 448 640 735 816      
Sentenced commitments 777 806 710 780 789 711 806 1,146 1,376 1,315 1,148      
Daily count 12/31 267 239 246 224 237 420 454 643 735 818 737      
                             
Releases 756 840 704 801 770 532 769 951 1,281 1,232 1,227     63%
Suffolk HOC                            
Daily count 1/1 499 645 798 831 1,119 1,286 1,340 1,447 1,818 1,753 1,878      
Sentenced commitments 1,406 1,562 1,435 2,008 2,462 2,747 3,070 3,227 3,084 3,348 2,888      
Daily count 12/31 646 799 831 1,130 1,287 1,353 1,451 1,835 1,785 1,884 1,662      
                             
Releases 1,259 1,408 1,402 1,709 2,294 2,680 2,959 2,839 3,117 3,217 3,104     156%
Worcester HOC                            
Daily count 1/1 516 456 517 704 703 792 722 862 848 857 866      
Sentenced commitments 2,109 2,165 2,157 2,108 2,255 2,478 2,813 2,403 2,760 2,333 2,454      
Daily count 12/31 472 514 707 719 776 738 857 848 867 865 839      
                             
Releases 2,153 2,107 1,967 2,093 2,182 2,532 2,678 2,417 2,741 2,325 2,481     8%
                             
ALL COUNTIES (HOC)                            
Daily count 1/1 3,442 3,614 3,810 4,402 5,397 6,194 6,397 6,944 7,686 8,254 8,270      
Sentenced commitments 13,117 13,721 14,676 15,373 15,978 17,329 19,033 19,482 19,842 18,748 17,068      
Inmate population, 12/31 3,669 3,794 4,396 5,448 6,468 6,436 6,984 7,729 8,363 8,303 7,636      
Total County Releases 12,890 13,541 14,090 14,327 14,907 17,087 18,446 18,697 19,165 18,699 17,702     45%
                             
                             
MASSACHUSETTS RELEASE DATA                            
  1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999      
County releases 12,890 13,541 14,090 14,327 14,907 17,087 18,446 18,697 19,165 18,699 17,702      
State/DOC releases 3,737 3,835 3,293 3,410 3,613 3,763 3,662 3,047 2,982 2,829 2,919      
TOTAL RELEASES 16,627 17,376 17,383 17,737 18,520 20,850 22,108 21,744 22,147 21,528 20,621      
                             
                             
Important notes:                            
1. Total releases calculated as follows: [Total releases= Daily 1/1 + Sentenced commitments - Daily 12/31].                            
2. Sentenced commitments are total commitments for the year.                            
3. Sentenced commitments include cases described by the DOC as "rare" in which an inmate is sentenced to a                            
county jail, rather than to a house of correction (HOC). The daily counts reported in the table, however, do not                            
include any jail inmates. The release data, therefore, is subject to some error, although the impact should be small                            
due to the fact that such cases are rare.                            
4. No pre-trial detainees are included in any data reported here.                            
                             
                             
                             
Sources:                            
For sentenced commitments: Mass. DOC, New Court Commitments to Massachusetts County Correctional Facilities During 19xx.                            
For daily counts: Michael A. Thompson, Director of Offender Management and Placement, Mass. DOC, Executive Office                            
of Public Safety.                            
For DOC Releases: Mass. DOC, A Statistical Description of Releases From Instiutions and the Jurisdiction of the Massachusetts                            
Department of Correction During 19xx.                            

Last Updated on 1/16/01
By staff