Why is Walpole prison closing?

Why is Walpole prison closing?

One of Massachusetts’ oldest prisons will no longer house prisoners. The Department of Correction said Thursday it will shutter MCI-Cedar Junction at Walpole within two years, citing a reduced incarceration rate and high maintenance costs.

What is the biggest jail in Massachusetts?

MCI-Norfolk
Opened in the early 1930s, MCI-Norfolk is the largest state prison in Massachusetts. On January 6, 2020, there was 1,251 inmates in general population beds.

What is the maximum-security prison in Massachusetts?

Massachusetts Correctional Institution – Cedar Junction
Souza-Baranowski is the only post-conviction maximum-security state prison in Massachusetts. Massachusetts Correctional Institution – Cedar Junction operates a pre-trial maximum-security “reception and diagnostic center”, and the Federal Medical Center, Devens operates at all security levels, including maximum.

Is Walpole a maximum security prison?

The Massachusetts Correctional Institution—Cedar Junction (MCI-Cedar Junction), formerly known as MCI-Walpole, is a maximum security prison under the jurisdiction of the Massachusetts Department of Correction. It was opened in 1956 to replace Charlestown State Prison, the oldest prison in the nation at that time.

What prison is closing in Massachusetts?

MCI-Cedar Junction
The Massachusetts Department of Correction (DOC) announced Thursday that it will shut down MCI-Cedar Junction, the maximum-security prison in Walpole. The DOC said in a news release that the process will take place over two years and three phases, during which prisoners will be moved to other facilities.

Has anyone escaped Walpole prison?

Prisoner walks out of Walpole State Prison It was then that Peter Macey, serving decades for breaking and entering, larceny and a previous escape attempt, walked away from a work detail into the frigid Walpole woods. It was the first walk-away escape in the prison’s history, the Springfield Union reported.

When did Walpole prison become Cedar Junction?

It was opened in 1956 to replace Charlestown State Prison, the oldest prison in the nation at that time….Massachusetts Correctional Institution – Cedar Junction.