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Statistics for the State of Massachusetts

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Overview of Massachusetts's Correctional System Massachusetts

The Jail System

There are 19 jail facilities in the state's 14 counties with a rates capacity of 11,229 inmates. The state Dept. of Correction inspects jails and enforces standards compliance.

The Prison System

The Dept. of Correction managed 11,436 inmates in 17 facilities and a pre-release center at yearend 2007. The agency has 4,942 employees. The budget for FY 2007 was $542.6 million.

The Community Corrections System

The Office of the Commissioner of Probation with the state judicial branch oversees supervision of 175,4192 probationers in 2007. Field staff of the MA Parole Board supervised 3,209 parolees.
2007 Crime Rate for Massachusetts
The crime rate in Massachusetts is about 24% lower than the national average rate. Property crimes account for around 84.7% of the crime rate in Massachusetts which is 27% lower than the national rate. The remaining 11.6% are violent crimes and are about 7% lower than other states. The following graph shows how Massachusetts compared to the rest of the states.

State Crime Rates (Per 100,000 People)

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Massachusetts National Avg.
Crime Rates (2007) 2,825 3,731
Violent Crimes 432 467
Property Crimes 2,393 3,264
2004 Corrections Population
Massachusetts has 206,241 adults under correctional supervision (prisons, jails, probation, and parole). The supervision rate (number of offenders per 100,000 people) is about 17% higher than the national rate.

State Population Rates (Per 100,000 People)

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Massachusetts National Avg.
Population Rate (2004) 3,117 2,572
2007 Incarceration Information
Massachusetts has a rate 45% lower than than the national average of incarcerated adults per 100,000.

Incarceration Rate (Per 100,000)

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Massachusetts National Avg.
Incarceration Rate (2007) 246 447
2007 Probationers
Massachusetts has a rate 47% higher than than the national average number of probationers per 100,000 people.

Probationers (Per 100,000)

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Massachusetts National Avg.
Probationer Rate (2007) 3,484 1,863
2007 Parolees
Massachusetts has a rate 80% lower than than the national average number of parolees per 100,000 people.

Parolees (Per 100,000)

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Massachusetts National Avg.
Parolee Rate (2007) 64 319
2008 Corrections Percentage of Total State Government Expenditures
Taxpayers paid 31% lower than than the national average in 2008.

Percentage Spent on Corrections

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Massachusetts National Avg.
% Spent on Corrections (2008) 4.6% 6.7%

Data Sources:

  • The PEW Center on the States
  • Federal Bureau of Investigation, U.S. Dept. of Justice
  • Bureau of Justice Statistics, U.S. Dept. of Justice
  • American Jail Assoc.
  • American Correctional Assoc.
  • State Government Websites
  • State-provided information
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