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.

How many prisoners are in Walpole?

525 inmates
MCI-Cedar Junction in Walpole is currently operating at 68 percent capacity with about 525 inmates.

Is Walpole State 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.

How old is Walpole prison?

Opened in 1955, the prison is one of the state’s oldest and has a storied history, having housed multiple serial killers.

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.

What is Ddu in prison?

In the Massachusetts Department of Correction system, solitary is known as the Department Disciplinary Unit, or DDU. It’s a prison within a prison where each person is isolated in a cell no larger than a parking spot.

How many maximum security prisons are in the US?

one
There is only one federal maximum-security prison in the U.S., the United States Penitentiary Administrative Maximum Facility (ADX) located in Florence, Colorado.

Does Massachusetts allow solitary confinement?

2504, Criminal Justice Protections to all Prisoners in Segregated Confinement, that would further regulate and minimize the use of solitary isolation. The Massachusetts legislature passed major criminal justice reform legislation in 2018, which partially addressed solitary isolation.

Is solitary confinement legal in Massachusetts?

They say the DOC changed the term to “restrictive housing ” rather than “solitary confinement” after the 2018 Criminal Justice Reform Act reduced the use of solitary confinement. Prisoners Legal Services of Massachusetts officials say they’re “cautiously optimistic” about report’s recommendations.