Bill > S1626

This bill establishes a special commission to investigate and identify suitable locations for a new justice complex in Southern Middlesex County, which would include a jail facility. The commission will evaluate potential sites for a replacement justice complex that can house related criminal justice functions, such as courts, pre-arraignment lockups, a female lockup facility, and facilities for special populations, consistent with a previous act from 2008. It will analyze current inmate and detainee populations to determine the appropriate size of any new facility and assess whether future populations can be reduced, considering a 2014 assessment of the Middlesex County pretrial population. The commission will also specifically look for sites for a correctional facility to house female pretrial detainees and those sentenced to shorter terms in a house of correction, documenting community needs and recommending efficient public resource investments. The commission will be chaired by the secretary of public safety and security and include other state officials, including the secretary of administration and finance, the Middlesex sheriff, representatives from the trial court and district attorney's office, and legislative appointees, and is required to report its findings by August 1, 2016.