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