WALPOLE, Mass. – The state Department of Corrections announced Wednesday that it has ended inmate housing operations at one of Massachusetts’ oldest correctional facilities and disbanded the prison’s disciplinary unit.
As of Friday, inmates who were housed at MCI-Cedar Junction in Walpole have been transferred to other prisons in Massachusetts, officials said.
Some of the most notorious criminals to make headlines have been incarcerated at the maximum security prison, MCI-Cedar Junction, including Albert DeSalvo, known as “The Boston Strangler,” New England Patriots tight end Aaron Hernandez, mobster Stephen Flemmi and John. Salvi, a gunman who carried out fatal shootings at two abortion facilities in Brookline in 1994.
The state has also discontinued the Department’s Disciplinary Unit in Cedar Junction, officials said. The department completed the move of the Cedar Junction Intake and Diagnostic Center to the Souza-Baranowski Correctional Center in June 2022.
“Amid the state’s lowest prison population in 35 years, the Department embarked on this effort last year to improve operational efficiency and advance cost-saving solutions. Completed ahead of schedule, the DOC has terminated Cedar Junction’s general population housing, relocated its intake and diagnostic center and disbanded the Department’s Disciplinary Unit,” state Department of Corrections officials said in a statement. “This achievement marks a significant milestone toward the Department’s goal of eliminating restrictive housing and advancing discipline reform.”
Department of Corrections Commissioner Carol Mici said the move is “significant progress toward our goal of eliminating restrictive housing in the DOC.”
“Disbanding the Department’s Disciplinary Unit ahead of our two-year reorganization plan was no easy task, and we are proud of the great strides made in achieving significant change in our approach to managing the people in our care,” said Mici.
Massachusetts Public Safety and Security Secretary Terrence Reidy, in a statement, also praised the change.
“Massachusetts is a national leader in reducing incarceration, which has resulted in a record low prison population,” Reidy said. “The strategic consolidation of resources is financially prudent and provides an opportunity to deepen investments in programs and services that support successful reentry and rehabilitation. I commend Commissioner Mici and the DOC team for their diligence in achieving this goal and their unwavering dedication to providing effective services to those in DOC’s care.”
In April 2022, the DOC announced a two-year, three-phase plan to move inmates living at MCI-Cedar Junction to other DOC facilities, state prison officials said. At the time, Cedar Junction was operating at 68% capacity with a population of approximately 525 inmates.
The plan also included moving Cedar Junction’s intake and diagnostic center to the Souza-Baranowski Correctional Center, “a more modern, climate-controlled facility where living spaces better reflect what incarcerated individuals will experience once their classification is completed initial 60 to 90 days.” state prison officials said.
The decision to end inmate housing at Cedar Junction “was based on a comprehensive needs assessment, the exorbitant maintenance costs of the aging facility, a department-wide plan to consolidate the facilities operational and their alignment with the Department’s commitment to eradicate restrictive housing and reform its approach to discipline,” officials said.
A limited number of Department of Corrections personnel remain on site to ensure the safety of the facility and perform routine maintenance, officials said. A process is underway to transition the remaining prison staff to other duties as needed.
Opened in 1955, MCI-Cedar Junction is one of the oldest correctional facilities in Massachusetts.
“The plant’s aging physical infrastructure became costly to maintain and required major repairs,” officials said.
A facilities needs assessment by the Division of Capital Asset Management and Maintenance identified nearly $30 million in needed infrastructure repairs, including about $22 million in essential electrical upgrades, officials said.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.
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