(This post is a summary of my latest work. Click here to read more.)
My research shows that the Massachusetts Department of Correction (DOC) routinely incarcerates women in settings that are more restrictive than necessitated either by the very low rate of violence among incarcerated women or by Massachusetts law which affords the Commissioner of the Department of Correction nearly unlimited discretion to set security classification policies and procedures. Locking up women in overly restrictive settings is harmful to the health and well-being of incarcerated women, the majority of whom have experienced gender or sexual abuse in their pathways to prison. Nor does it contribute to public safety or lower recidivism rates. Indeed, prisoners randomly assigned to a higher security level than warranted by their classification scores have a higher rate of returning to prison than those randomly assigned to a lower security level.
This is how the system plays out in Massachusetts: Upon entering MCI-Framingham (the DOC’s women’s prison), and then at regular intervals going forward, each woman’s security risk is assessed using the DOC’s “Objective Point Base System,” which gives scores for the severity of current and past charges leading to conviction, history of escape attempts, prior institutional violence, disciplinary reports, age, education, and employment. Higher security settings are characterized by harsher, more punitive conditions and tight restrictions on personal mobility. Low security settings not only allow for more personal autonomy, but also opportunities for individuals to participate in work release, community release, and electronic monitoring programs outside the prison.
Based on the DOC’s own “objective” assessment tool, most women score as minimum security risks. However, nearly all women are (re)classified as medium security and held in the medium security state prison where they sleep in locked cells exposed to open view while using the bathroom, are surrounded by constant banging of cell and cell block doors, and frequently threatened with more severe punishment, including time in solitary confinement.
A small number of women classified as minimum security are selected to transfer to minimum security jails with which the DOC has contracted in several Massachusetts counties. These jails have bedrooms, showers, and toilets with doors that close, providing privacy crucial for individuals who have experienced sexual abuse. There is no solitary confinement in minimum security jails. Women are addressed by their first names and they – along with most of the staff – wear street clothing rather than uniforms, a policy that is especially important when children come to visit.
Minimum security classification comes with another important advantage. In Massachusetts an individual first must be classified as minimum security to be considered for pre-release status. Pre-release status opens the door to community and work release and electronic monitoring opportunities. Current DOC practices prevent most women from benefiting from these programs that allow women to become financially self-sufficient and to remain engaged in caring for their families. As of this writing, there are only fourteen women in the entire state on pre-release status.
Eliminating the current practice of routinely over-classifying women is not only humane and feasible, it also is cost-effective. According to the Department of Correction Per Capita Cost Report, the annual cost per incarcerated individual at medium security MCI-Framingham is $235,195. To put that in perspective, among the men’s prisons, the per capita costs at the minimum / pre-release facilities are: Northeastern Correctional Center, $71,242; Pondville Correctional Center, $81,913; Boston Pre-Release, $125,173.