Awaiting Trial: Stay Time and Population at Middlesex Jail Increased Significantly

By CHARLENE ARSENAULT (Patch Staff)

Concerns are increasing surrounding the amount of prisoners, and the length of time they await trial, in the Middlesex House of Correction and Jail.

On Thursday, Middlesex Sheriff Peter Koutoujian in conjunction with members of the Massachusetts State Senate released a National Institute of Corrections (NIC) study that focused on the pretrial population at the Middlesex House of Correction & Jail.

“As sheriff, I have witnessed a steady increase in our pretrial population over the last few years, and I felt the issue warranted a more in-depth analysis,” said Sheriff Koutoujian in an announcement.

The study came at the request of Senators Patricia Jehlen, D–Somerville, and Jamie Eldridge, D–Acton, both of whom shared Sheriff Koutoujian’s concerns regarding the increase in population.

The MSO requested technical assistance from the NIC to conduct the trend analysis, and the study indeed showed that over a six-year period, from 2008 to 2013, the average length of stay for pretrial defendants at the Middlesex Jail increased by nearly 24 percent, while the average daily population increased by 30 percent during that same period, from 593 detainees to 772.

The report also provided key recommendations to stakeholders, said the announcement.

These include:

• Convening a criminal justice coordinating committee to implement recommendations and assess their effectiveness;
• Tracking data to measure outcomes to identify criminal justice trends; and
• Adopting a risk assessment tool to assist in determining high and low risk defendants.

In response to the analysis, the Massachusetts Trial Court has appointed Sheriff Koutoujian to the Probation Pretrial Services Task Force, a panel comprised of members from across the criminal justice community, focused on pretrial practice and assessment of the effectiveness of best practices.

“Utilizing a validated risk assessment would provide objectivity, consistency, and reliability to this process, while making valid distinctions between high and low risk defendants,” according to the report.

“This report shows a troubling increase in the pretrial population and average length of stay,” said Sen. Jehlen. “The Sheriff and the Trial Court are great partners and the risk assessment pilot program is an important first step, but it is time for the legislature to pass a comprehensive pretrial reform package.”

“I applaud Sheriff Koutoujian and my Senate colleagues for requesting the NIC study. I have had serious concerns about the growth of the population at the Billerica Jail, and I appreciate that we now have the data to show how quickly it has been growing,” said Sen. Donnelly, who represents Billerica, in the release. “I look forward to bringing this issue before the legislature and working with the Sheriff and the Trial Court to implement meaningful reforms that ensure our pretrial process is fair and efficient.”

The complete NIC study can be found on the Media Room page of the Middlesex Sheriff’s Office website.