With lowest prison population in 35 years, Massachusetts Governor Healey plans to close prison

Michael P. Norton

JAN. 24, 2024…..The Healey administration plans to close the state’s medium security prison in Concord by this summer.

According to an Executive Office of Public Safety and Security spokesperson, the incarcerated population at the prison stands at about 300 men, or about 50 percent of the prison’s capacity. The prison has been part of the Concord community for more than 150 years.

Under state law, closing a correctional facility and disposing of the property requires the approval of the Legislature, according to the Department of Correction, and Gov. Maura Healey’s fiscal 2025 state budget bill, filed on Wednesday, includes the relevant language.

The EOPSS spokesperson told the News Service Wednesday morning that the state was experiencing its “lowest prison population in 35 years” and the Concord closure plan reflected the Department of Correction’s “ongoing efforts to enhance operational efficiency, advance cost-saving solutions, and deepen investments in programming and services.”

The department plans to start transferring correction officers and incarcerated individuals in the five months remaining in fiscal 2024, and to complete the closure by summertime, the spokesperson said. Individuals living at the prison will undergo a reclassification process.

The Concord Bridge reported the closure plans on Tuesday, citing Sen. Michael Barrett of Lexington as the source of the news.

“We have been aiming as a legislature and in general to reduce the number of people incarcerated,” Barrett said, according to The Concord Bridge. “Obviously, this is a big deal. People are going to be upset, people are going to be caught off guard.”

Rep. Simon Cataldo of Concord said news of the closure plans triggered “mixed emotions” due to people with connections to the prison, such as those who volunteer inside the facility and employers who employ inmates through prison programs.

“There are real and profound relationships that are going to be affected by moving all of these people,” Cataldo said.

The property covers 62 acres and abuts West Concord Village, the Route 2 rotary, and the West Concord stop on the Fitchburg commuter rail line. He said he expects community engagement before any plans are finalized about future uses, but mentioned several possibilities, including housing, commercial and retail options, as well as open space or recreational space.

“With a plot of land this size we should be looking to address multiple challenges and opportunities,” Cataldo told the News Service.

On Wednesday afternoon, the Department of Correction said the facility, which opened in 1878, requires significant investments and has become “too costly to maintain.” Closing the prison will resulting in $16 million in operational costs savings, according to the DOC, and negate the need for $190 million in capital projects.

The department said it expects the property to be made available for potential redevelopment “once the safe transfer and closure is complete.”