2008 New Court Commitments to MA County Correctional Facilities, MA DOC, 2009
Download original document:
![Brief thumbnail](/media/cache/13/4a/134a621f4b98388b8cb5482d7807c250.jpg)
Document text
![Brief thumbnail](/media/cache/13/4a/134a621f4b98388b8cb5482d7807c250.jpg)
Document text
This text is machine-read, and may contain errors. Check the original document to verify accuracy.
458 MASSACHUSETTS DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTION 2008 New Court Commitments to Massachusetts County Correctional Facilities June 2009 2008 New Court Commitments to Massachusetts County Correctional Facilities Commonwealth of Massachusetts Deval L. Patrick, Governor Timothy P. Murray, Lieutenant Governor Executive Office of Public Safety and Security Kevin M. Burke, Secretary Mary Beth Heffernan, Undersecretary of Criminal Justice Massachusetts Department of Correction Harold W. Clarke, Commissioner Ronald T. Duval, Deputy Commissioner of Administration Rhiana Kohl, Ph.D., Executive Director of Strategic Planning & Research Paul Heroux, Director of Research & Planning Lisa Sampson, Deputy Director of Research & Planning i 2008 New Court Commitments to Massachusetts County Correctional Facilities Author: Research and Planning Division Prepared By: Emily Parsons, Research Analyst Acknowledgements The publication of this report would not be possible without the assistance of the Research Analyst Pam McLaughlin, Research Assistant Jessica Biedron, Research Assistant Emily Testwuide and Massachusetts Sheriffs and their staff. The County Houses of Correction Records and Administration staff submit monthly data thus providing the Department of Correction the necessary information to produce this report. The review of earlier drafts of this report, particularly by DOC Research and Planning staff and managers is much appreciated. This report is accessible on the DOC website at http://www.mass.gov/doc and is also available at the following libraries: Massachusetts State Library; Library of Congress, Washington D.C.; Boston Library; University of Massachusetts, Amherst; Springfield City Library; and Worcester Public Library. For questions regarding this report, please contact the Research and Planning Division: Research & Planning Division MCI-Concord/SFU Building PO BOX 9125 Concord, MA 01742 (978) 405-6600 Research@doc.state.ma.us This and other Massachusetts Department of Correction publications can be accessed on the internet under the Research & Statistics tab at: http://www.mass.gov/doc Publication No.09-160-DOC-01 12 pgs. 80 cps. June 9, 2009 Authorized by: Ellen Bickelman, State Purchasing Agent ii 2008 New Court Commitments to Massachusetts County Correctional Facilities 2008 New Court Commitments to Massachusetts County Correctional Facilities Brief: Introduction This brief provides a statistical description of offenders committed to Massachusetts county facilities (houses of correction) during 2008. All new court commitments and those individuals who began serving a new criminal sentence during the year are included in this brief. If an individual was committed more than once during 2008, each commitment for that individual is counted separately. Information for offenders committed to the Massachusetts Department of Correction (state facilities) is not included in this brief. It is important to note that not all county facilities house females. Some females serving a county sentence are transferred or committed directly to the Massachusetts State Correctional Institution – Framingham. Females at state facilities are not included in this brief. The statistical tables were derived from information submitted by each county facility to the Research and Planning Division of the Massachusetts Department of Correction (DOC). Disclaimer – Data reported within this brief is reported by the Massachusetts County Correctional facilities and is subsequently provided to the MADOC for reporting purposes. This data is not audited by the MADOC. iii 2008 New Court Commitments to Massachusetts County Correctional Facilities Table of Contents Acknowledgements ...................................................................................................................................... i Acknowledgements ..................................................................................................................................... ii Introduction ............................................................................................................................................... iii New Commitments by Committing Institution............................................................................................. 1 2008 Commitments: Institutions by Gender ................................................................................................. 1 New Commitments by Gender ..................................................................................................................... 2 2008 Commitments: Age at Commitment by Gender .................................................................................. 2 2008 Commitments: Race/Ethnicity by Gender ........................................................................................... 3 2008 Commitments: Place of Birth .............................................................................................................. 3 2008 Commitments: Marital Status .............................................................................................................. 3 2008 Commitments: Last Grade Completed by Gender............................................................................... 3 2008 Commitments: Top Ten Massachusetts City/Town Last Known Address by Gender ........................ 4 2008 Commitments: Sentence Length .......................................................................................................... 5 2008 Commitments: Sentence Length by Gender ........................................................................................ 5 2008 Commitments: Offense Category by Gender....................................................................................... 6 2008 Commitments: Violent vs. Non-Violent Offenses by Gender ............................................................. 6 2008 Commitments: Top Ten Offenses by Gender ...................................................................................... 7 Definitions .................................................................................................................................................... 8 iv 2008 New Court Commitments to Massachusetts County Correctional Facilities New Commitments by Committing Institution: 2004 to 2008 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 N % N % N % N % N % Barnstable 603 4% 524 3% 361 2% 332 2% 653 4% Berkshire 719 4% 670 4% 620 3% 725 4% 648 4% Bristol 1,828 11% 1,827 11% 1,911 11% 1,637 10% 1,872 12% Dukes 34 0% 39 0% 33 0% 35 0% 36 0% Essex 1,349 8% 1,402 8% 2,157 12% 2,076 13% 1,737 11% Franklin 249 2% 253 2% 251 1% 295 2% 276 2% Hampden 2,203 13% 2,477 15% 2,615 15% 2,320 14% 1,932 12% Hampshire 403 2% 434 3% 434 2% 381 2% 366 2% Middlesex 1,773 11% 1,903 11% 1,836 10% 1,692 10% 1,747 11% Norfolk 1,020 6% 1,011 6% 1,013 6% 912 6% 878 5% Plymouth 1,224 7% 1,246 7% 1,332 8% 1,198 7% 1,085 7% Suffolk 2,817 17% 2,627 16% 2,805 16% 2,544 15% 2,560 16% WMRWCC* n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 58 0 265 2% Worcester 2,365 14% 2,236 13% 2,354 13% 2,299 14% 2,094 13% Total 16,587 100% 16,649 100% 17,722 100% 16,504 100% 16,149 100% *Western Massachusetts Regional Women’s Correctional Center (WMRWCC) opened October 1, 2007. % Chng 07 vs. 08 % 97% -11% 14% 3% -16% -6% -17% -4% 3% -4% -9% 1% n/a -9% -2% During 2008, there were 16,149 new court commitments to county Houses of Correction (HOC), a decrease of 2% (355 commitments) from 2007. As seen in the table above, 2008 had the fewest commitments in the five year period from 2004 to 2008. Commitments have been relatively stable over the trend period with the exception of the peak in 2006 of 17,722 commitments. Suffolk County House 2008 Commitments: Institution by Gender of Correction received Female Male Total the majority (15%) of N % N % N % the 15,264 male new Suffolk 221 25% 2,339 15% 2,560 16% court commitments in Worcester 11 1% 2,083 14% 2,094 13% 2008. Hampden 10 1% 1,922 13% 1,932 12% Six Massachusetts Bristol 221 25% 1,651 11% 1,872 12% county facilities Middlesex 6 1% 1,741 11% 1,747 11% received female county Essex 14 2% 1,723 11% 1,737 11% sentenced new court Plymouth 1 0% 1,084 7% 1,085 7% Norfolk 0 0% 878 6% 878 5% commitments; 45 5% 608 4% 653 4% Barnstable, Berkshire, Barnstable Berkshire 83 9% 565 4% 648 4% Bristol, Hampden, and 1 0% 365 2% 366 2% Suffolk County Houses Hampshire Franklin 14 2% 262 2% 276 2% of Correction and WMRWCC 258 29% 7 0% 265 2% Western Massachusetts Dukes 0 0% 36 0% 36 0% Regional Women’s Total 885 100% 15,264 100% 16,149 100% Correctional Center (WMRCC). WMRCC which serves Franklin, Hampden, and Hampshire counties, received 29% of the 885 female new court commitments to a county facility. Female new court commitments can be temporarily held at other Houses of Correction while awaiting transfer to a correctional facility that houses this population. 1 2008 New Court Commitments to Massachusetts County Correctional Facilities New Commitments by Gender 20,000 17,068 18,000 16,089 16,291 15,334 16,000 16,194 17,722 16,533 16,649 16,504 16,149 Count 14,000 12,000 15,431 16,332 10,000 16,725 15,444 14,780 8,000 15,285 15,559 15,590 15,264 15,609 6,000 4,000 2,000 736 554 658 847 909 974 1,059 997 885 895 0 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 Male 2004 2005 Female 2006 2007 2008 Total Forty-five percent of the 2008 new court commitments were less than 30 years of age at time of commitment; 45% of males and 38% of females were in the less than 30 age category. Twenty-eight percent of commitments were 40 to 64 years old and 26% were 30 to 39 years old. At their commitment, the average (mean) age for all offenders was 33 years old. Specifically, male offenders on average were 33 years old; the average (mean) age for females at commitment was 34 years old. Male ages ranged from 17 to 84, and female ages ranged from 17 to 66. 2008 Commitments: Age at Commitment by Gender 5,000 4,567 4,500 4,249 4,000 Count 3,500 3,409 3,000 2,835 2,500 2,000 1,500 1,000 500 3,966 1,025 4,302 3,256 2,676 1,001 24 64 283 159 153 265 63 1 0 19 Yrs or Younger 20 to 24 Yrs 25 to 29 Yrs 30-39 Yrs Age Male Female 2 40-64 Yrs Total 65 Yrs or Older 2008 New Court Commitments to Massachusetts County Correctional Facilities 2008 Commitments: Race/Ethnicity (self-reported) by Gender Female Male Total N % N % N % White 564 64% 8,469 55% 9,033 56% Black 180 20% 3,373 22% 3,553 22% Hispanic 99 11% 2,744 18% 2,843 18% Unknown 27 3% 378 2% 405 3% Other 7 1% 183 1% 190 1% Asian 4 0% 90 1% 94 1% Native American 4 0% 27 0% 31 0% Total 885 100% 15,264 100% 16,149 100% Note: Some Houses of Correction do not report Hispanic ethnicity. Because of this, the number of Hispanics indicated in the table above may be underreported. The majority of the HOC new court commitments self-reported a race/ethnicity of white (56%), followed by Black (22%) and Hispanic (18%). Approximately 70% (n = 11,191) of HOC new court commitments had a self-reported place of birth in Massachusetts. Seventeen percent reported a place of birth in other U.S. states (n = 2,689), with an additional 9% (n = 1,411) reporting a U.S. territory. Five percent (n = 858) reported being foreign born. The majority of new court commitments reported a marital status of single (63%, n = 10,169). Fewer than 10% reported statuses of married (9%, n = 1,452), divorced (8%, n = 1,232) and separated (2%, n = 385). It should be noted however, that 18% (n = 2,859) of new court commitments did not report a marital status. 2008 Commitments: Last Grade Completed (Self-Reported) by Gender Female N % 3rd Grade or Less 4th Grade 5th Grade 6th Grade 7th Grade 8th Grade 9th Grade 10th Grade 11th Grade 12th Grade Some College College Graduate Graduate School Sub-Total Unknown Total 4 0% 2 0% 1 0% 4 0% 12 1% 32 4% 84 9% 81 9% 122 14% 270 31% 118 13% 14 2% 4 0% 748 85% 137 15% 885 100% Male N 88 26 50 79 190 458 1,171 1,712 2,170 6,776 1,110 303 49 14,182 1,082 15,264 % Total N 1% 92 0% 28 0% 51 1% 83 1% 202 3% 490 8% 1,255 11% 1,793 14% 2,292 44% 7,046 7% 1,228 2% 317 0% 53 93% 14,930 7% 1,219 100% 16,149 3 % 1% 0% 0% 1% 1% 3% 8% 11% 14% 44% 8% 2% 0% 92% 8% 100% Excluding the 8% (n = 1,219) of HOC new court commitments where a last grade completed was not reported, 58% (n = 8,644) reported having a twelfth grade education or higher. Forty-two percent (n = 6,286) reported having a last grade competed of eleventh grade or less. 2008 New Court Commitments to Massachusetts County Correctional Facilities 2008 Commitments: Female Top 10 MA City/Town Last Known Address (Self-Reported) Boston Springfield Fall River New Bedford Pittsfield Outside MA Holyoke Chicopee North Adams Taunton Sub-Total Other MA Cities/Towns Total N 146 128 67 45 34 32 30 21 20 19 542 343 885 2008 Commitments: Male Top 10 MA City/Town Last Known Address (Self-Reported) % 16% 14% 8% 5% 4% 4% 3% 2% 2% 2% 61% 39% 100% Boston Springfield Worcester Outside MA Fall River Brockton New Bedford Lynn Lawrence Holyoke Sub-Total Other MA Cities/Towns Total N 2,195 1,191 865 592 506 436 423 398 387 303 7,296 7,968 15,264 % 14% 8% 6% 4% 3% 3% 3% 3% 3% 2% 48% 52% 100% Excluding commitments to ‘other’ Massachusetts communities, the most common last known addresses reported by females were Boston (16%) and Springfield (14%); males reported Boston (14%), Springfield (8%) and Worcester (6%). Not all counties house their female inmates, resulting in a disproportionate number of inmates from some Massachusetts communities. 4 2008 New Court Commitments to Massachusetts County Correctional Facilities Count 2008 Commitments: Sentence Length 4,162 4,500 4,000 3,241 3,500 3,000 2,500 2,000 1,500 1,069 788 1,000 166 500 0 Less 1-3 Than 1 M ths M th 4-5 6 M ths 7-8 M ths M ths 2,348 1,135 911 615 255 9-11 M ths 960 12 M ths 13-17 M ths 430 69 18 M ths 19-23 M ths 24 M ths M ore Than 24 M ths FINE Sentence Length in Months In 2008, 57% of male commitments had a sentence of six months or less, 21% had a sentence of seven months through one year and 19% had sentences of more than one year. In comparison, 66% of female commitments had a sentence of six months or less, 18% had sentences of seven months through one year and 12% percent had a sentence of more than one year. Four percent of females and 3% of males were committed in lieu of payment of a fine. 2008 Commitments: Sentence Length by Gender Female N % Male N % Total N % Less Than 1 Month 51 6% 1,018 7% 1,069 7% 1 to 3 Months 260 29% 3,902 26% 4,162 26% 4 to 5 Months 75 8% 713 5% 788 5% 6 Months 200 23% 3,041 20% 3,241 20% 7 to 8 Months 7 1% 159 1% 166 1% 9 to 11 Months 41 5% 870 6% 911 6% 12 Months 112 13% 2,236 15% 2,348 15% 13 to 17 Months 9 1% 246 2% 255 2% 18 Months 35 4% 1,100 7% 1,135 7% 19 to 23 Months 2 0% 67 0% 69 0% 24 Months 42 5% 918 6% 960 6% More Than 24 Months 16 2% 599 4% 615 4% Fine 35 4% 395 3% 430 3% Total 885 100% 15,264 100% 16,149 100% Note: Offense and sentence information reported in this brief represent the governing offense recorded by the county facility. The governing offense represents the offense which carries the longest sentence. For counties that report multiple sentences, the MADOC makes the determination of which sentence is the governing offense. 5 2008 New Court Commitments to Massachusetts County Correctional Facilities 2008 Commitments: Offense Category by Gender Person Sex Property Drug Other Total Female Male Total N % N % N % 157 18% 3,127 20% 3,284 20% 4 0% 433 3% 437 3% 239 27% 3,308 22% 3,547 22% 204 23% 2,882 19% 3,086 19% 281 32% 5,514 36% 5,795 36% 885 100% 15,264 100% 16,149 100% Note: Offense and sentence information reported in this brief represent the governing offense recorded by the county facility. The governing offense represents the offense which carries the longest sentence. For counties that report multiple sentences, the MADOC makes the determination of which sentence is the governing offense. In 2008, new female commitments had higher percentages of Property and Drug offenses than their male counterparts, comprising 50% of all female commitments. New male commitments had higher percentages of Person, Sex, and Other offenses. As seen in the charts below, the majority of both male and female new court commitments were convicted of non-violent offenses (Property, Drug and Other). Twenty-three percent (n = 3,560) males and 18% (n = 161) of females were convicted of violent offenses (Person and Sex). 2008 Commitments: Violent vs. Non-Violent Female Offenses 2008 Commitments: Violent vs. Non-Violent Male Offenses 18% 23% 82% Violent Offense 77% Non-Violent Offense Violent Offense 6 Non-Violent Offense 2008 New Court Commitments to Massachusetts County Correctional Facilities The top ten offenses account for approximately two-thirds of the offense for which individuals are committed to the counties. The most frequent offense for which male new court commitments were incarcerated was Assault/Assault and Battery (13%) followed by Other Motor Vehicle Offenses (10%). The most frequent offense for female new court commitments was Larceny/Stealing (11%) followed by Assault/Assault and Battery (10%). 2008 Commitments: Female Top 10 Offenses 2008 Commitments: Male Top 10 Offenses Female N % Larceny/Stealing Assault/A&B Prostitution Unlawful Possession Class B Other Motor Vehicle Offenses Class B - Dist Or Possession W/Intent To Distribute OUI Alcohol Or Drugs, With Or Without Injury Assault/A&B W/ A Dangerous Weapon Unlawful Possession Class A Other Decency/Public Peace Crimes Sub-Total Other Offenses Total 99 85 72 61 58 57 56 42 37 35 602 283 885 11% 10% 8% 7% 7% 6% 6% 5% 4% 4% 68% 32% 100% 7 Male N Assault/A&B Other Motor Vehicle Offenses OUI Alcohol Or Drugs, With Or Without Injury Unarmed Burglary/Breaking & Entering Larceny/Stealing Assault/A&B W/ A Dangerous Weapon Class B - Dist Or Possession W/Intent To Dist Unlawful Possession Class B Other Decency/Public Peace Crimes Unlawful Possession Class D Sub-Total Other Offenses Total 1,933 1,530 1,190 964 954 815 776 553 494 441 9,650 5,614 15,264 % 13% 10% 8% 6% 6% 5% 5% 4% 3% 3% 63% 37% 100% 2008 New Court Commitments to Massachusetts County Correctional Facilities Definitions Current Offense: Inmates may be incarcerated for multiple offenses. The offense reported is that associated with the longest maximum sentence. Offense labels can be found in the Appendix and are listed in alphabetical order by offense category. Race/Ethnicity: Other category includes a small number of cases each year where race/ethnicity is unknown. It is likely that a large number of inmates who report their race as ‘other’ may belong in the Hispanic category; however that category has been phased out as an option for race due to a change in federal law. Hispanic is available as an Ethnicity, but sometimes this information is not reported. Marital Status: The categories “Common Law”, “Cohabitant”, and “Life Partner” are combined into the category labeled “Common Law” for this report. Sentence Type Fine: Offender was given a fine, but because he or she was unwilling or unable to pay the fine, is serving time in prison. Simple: One sentence received for a single offense. Drug Types Class A: Heroin and morphine Class B: Cocaine; opium, amphetamines, barbiturates, and PCP Class C: Hallucinogens (LSD, hashish) Class D: Marijuana Class E: Prescription drugs No Class Specified: Type of drug is not indicated by the sentence 8