Massachusetts SD 3276: DOC 2023 DDU Housing 1st Biannual Report

Bill Text

Department of Correction
BIANNUAL REPORT ON DEPARTMENT DISCIPLINARY
UNIT HOUSING

Calendar Year 2023
1
st Biannual

Executive Office of Public Safety and Security
June 2024

Maura T. Healey, Governor
Terrence M. Reidy, Secretary of Public Safety and Security

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Use of Department Disciplinary Unit January 1, 2023 to June 30, 2023

To the Joint Committee on the Judiciary, Public Safety, Homeland Security and the House and Senate
Committees on Ways and Means

Massachusetts Department of Correction

Carol A. Mici, Commissioner
Rhiana Kohl, Ph.D., Executive Director of Strategic Planning & Research

Acknowledgements

This report would not be possible without the hard work and dedication of:

Kevin Anahory, Program Manager Specialist, Central Inmate Disciplinary Unit
James O’Gara Jr., Personnel Officer, Health Services Division
Mitzi Peterson, Deputy Commissioner, Clinical Services and Reentry
Chris Tortora, CPO D, MCI-Norfolk

Office of Strategic Planning and Research

Data Analytics Unit
Director: Eva Yutkins-Kennedy
Phu Duong
Brian Giusti
Susan McDonald
Brett Repke
Nathaniel Sam
Mona Sayehban
Isaac Twum
Research and Planning Division
Deputy Director: Hollie Matthews
Aubrey Krieger
Jiqiang Rong
Alexandria Sahtouris

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Methodology
For purposes of this report, the Department Disciplinary Unit (DDU) in the Massachusetts Department of Correction
(MADOC) is a Disciplinary Restrictive Housing placement
1 of an incarcerated individual for disciplinary purposes to serve
a disciplinary sanction after a finding has been made that the individual has committed a breach of discipline in accordance
with 103 CMR 430, Inmate Discipline. The DDU is located at MCI-Cedar Junction, a medium security facility with a
maximum component.
The data used for this report comes from the MADOC’s Inmate Management System (IMS), and the MADOC Health
Services Division (ERMA).

The data represents 28 DDU placements based on 28 incarcerated individuals with a discharge date from the DDU within
the reporting time frame (January 1, 2023 to June 30, 2023). The following data tables describe this cohort.
2

Length of Stay in DDU3 Table 1

Average length of stay = 13.4 months
Median length of stay = 7.9 months

Length of Stay in DDU of Incarcerated
Individuals with Open Mental Health4 Table 2

Average length of stay = 17.3 months
Median length of stay = 6.7 months

1 With the dissolving of the DDU on June 16, 2023, the MADOC no longer utilizes restrictive housing at any facility.
2 Due to rounding, percentage totals may not add up to 100 percent in all tables.
3 Data is based on 28 incarcerated individuals with a discharge date within the reporting time frame. These 28 individuals were
discharged from the DDU during the reporting time frame as a result of the dissolving of the DDU. Incarcerated individuals with less
than a full month length of stay were counted as one month. The length of stay is based on the length of the DDU sanction which is
tracked in months. The disciplinary offenses that led to a DDU placement are listed in the appendix.
4 An incarcerated individual with Open Mental Health (OMH) is diagnosed with a mental illness or determined to be in need of mental
health intervention on an ongoing basis. See Appendix III for a full definition. Data is based on individuals with OMH released from
DDU within the reporting time frame. There were 10 OMH individuals who were discharged from DDU during the reporting time frame
based on their most recent mental health screening. This field signifies whether or not the individual was on the institution’s OMH
caseload prior to entering this placement or at any time during their placement. Any incarcerated individual carrying the Gender
Dysphoria (GD) diagnosis will remain an OMH case.
Length of Stay DDU Count Percent
0 to 12 Months 19 68%
12 months or Greater 9 32%
Total 28 100%
Length of Stay DDU Count Percent
0 to 12 Months 7 70%
12 months or Greater 3 30%
Total 10 100%

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Length of Stay in DDU of Incarcerated
Individuals 21 Years of Age or Younger5 Table 3

Average length of stay = 3.0 months
Median length of stay = 3.0 months

Criminally Sentenced Releases to the
Community within 30 Days of DDU
Discharge Date6 Table 4

One Year Recidivism Rate of Incarcerated Individuals who were Placed in DDU
7
A recidivist is defined as any criminally sentenced individual released to the community, via expiration of sentence or
parole, from the MADOC during 2020 who was re-incarcerated for a new sentence or violation of parole or probation to
a Massachusetts state, county, or federal facility within one year of release.

2020 Releases to the Community
One year recidivism rates for incarcerated individuals who were placed in the DDU from CY18 to CY20.

Table 5
Placement in DDU Count Recidivist Percent
Incarcerated Individuals with a
DDU Placement
46 3 7%
Incarcerated Individuals
without a DDU Placement
1,682 201 12%
Total 1,728 204 12%

5 Data is based on incarcerated individuals aged 21 years or yo