Hodgson issues update on criminal histories of inmates released due to COVID-19

DARTMOUTH — The Bristol County Sheriff’s Office has updated its Prisoner Release Alert Notification System to include the criminal histories of county inmates who are being released from jail by judges due to COVID-19.

In the new newsletter, Bristol County Sheriff Thomas M. Hodgson highlights an individual who was facing a charge of Accessory After the Fact and was ordered released by a judge. The individual has a long criminal history with more than 70 other charges, including rape, drug possession and distribution, assaults and others.

“A little context goes a long way,” Sheriff Hodgson wrote in his remarks on the Alert System graphic. “I’m doing this because the people have a right to know who’s walking around their neighborhoods. From the beginning of the COVID pandemic, I have said that releasing people from prison because they might catch a virus is wrong and goes against the best interest of public safety.”

In the new newsletter, each bullet point represents a different individual who was ordered released from a Bristol County correctional facility due to COVID-19, according to the BCSO. For the more than 50 county inmates released, it also includes, if any, the charges they’re faced over the years. It also lists the ICE detainees that have been released by federal judges and the charges/convictions they’ve had.

This is the third update to the Bristol County Sheriff’s Office The Prisoner Release Alert System. The first included only ICE detainees and the second added county inmates. Today’s update adds criminal histories. If anyone is planning on printing it out, please have some large paper ready: To fit all the charges, the document is 3 feet tall by 3 feet wide.

“I took an oath to do all I can to protect the people of Bristol County and make our communities better places to live, work and raise a family. I can’t defy the judges’ orders to release these people, but I sure can let the people know just who’s roaming around their communities.”