CONCORD — The state’s oldest medium-security correctional facility is no longer housing incarcerated men, even before the Legislature approved budget that will officially authorize its closure after nearly 150 years, the Department of Correction announced Wednesday.
MCI-Concord concluded “housing operations” in recent weeks, DOC said, with about 300 incarcerated men completing a reclassification process and being reassigned to another facility (based on security, service, and programming needs) by June 28.
The Concord lockup was built in 1878 and Gov. Maura Healey proposed closing the facility in her fiscal 2025 budget plan, citing costly maintenance expenses.
“The conclusion of housing operations at MCI-Concord reflects our commitment to re-imagining the future of corrections in Massachusetts by prioritizing operational efficiency and effectiveness while deepening investments in programming that promotes rehabilitation and recidivism reduction,” Healey said.
DOC said that it has transferred its employees from Concord to other facilities, plugging staffing gaps across the system in the process. The number of vacant DOC security positions dropped 48 percent from 702 to 340 after closing MCI-Concord, the department said.
The governor, House and Senate each included language to officially authorize the closure of MCI-Concord in their fiscal 2025 budget plans. The final compromise version, which is expected to include the Concord closure language, could get a vote later this week.
MCI-Concord is located on 37 acres and includes 18 buildings. Once the language authorizing the closure and disposal of the property is signed into law, DOC plans to transfer the Concord property to the Division of Capital Assets and Maintenance, “allowing the property to be redeveloped for non-correctional purposes,” the DOC said.
“Courtesy of the Department of Correction, one of the oldest and most distinguished towns in America is closer to gaining the equivalent of a whole new neighborhood,” Sen. Mike Barrett, who represents Concord, said. “Kind of amazing, and a tribute to Massachusetts’ capacity to renew itself.”