Middlesex Jail Population Down By 25%

The Middlesex Jail and Corrections Facility population dropped almost 25 percent since mid-March. The number of inmates is now just under 600, after the Middlesex County Sheriff's Office put its population reduction plans in place to try to slow the spread of the new coronavirus in the facility.

The reduction efforts included tripling the number of people on electronic monitoring and by collaborating with District Attorney Marian Ryan to conduct bail reviews. The drop in population has also been aided by a decline in new arrestees, scheduled releases for sentenced individuals, and the recent Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court ruling allowing pretrial individuals being held on certain charges to have their bail revisited.

“On March 12, we had 787 people either sentenced or awaiting trial,” said Sheriff Koutoujian. “Today, we have 594."

Because of the decline, the MSO closed a fourth dormitory-style housing unit. When the jail hit the 15 percent reduction point in April, three dormitory-style units were closed.

"The drop in population and closure of the dorms, combined with other steps modifying movement within the facility has allowed for an enhancement of social distancing practices within the Middlesex Jail & House of Correction," MSO officials said in a news release.

Along with extra cleanings of the facility, MSO is offering routine consultation with internal and external medical professionals including an infectious diseases specialist and four free phone calls of up to 20 minutes, every week, for each inmate, among other things.

“The decisions we are making and the steps we are taking are focused on ensuring the safety of those in our custody, our staff and the communities we serve,” said Middlesex Sheriff Peter J.Koutoujian. “We will not waiver from our commitment to meeting those objectives.”