MCI-Cedar Junction In Walpole Will Stop Housing Inmates Within 2 Years

WALPOLE (CBS) – The Massachusetts Department of Correction (DOC) announced on Thursday it is beginning a 2-year plan to stop housing inmates at MCI-Cedar Junction in Walpole.

The changes will take place in three phases.

According to the DOC, the plan comes due to decreased housing needs and the facility's "exorbitant maintenance costs." Cedar Junction opened in 1955 and is one of the oldest correctional facilities in Massachusetts.

A review found the prison requires $30 million in infrastructure repairs, and electrical upgrades alone would cost $22 million.

The DOC said the prison population in Massachusetts is the lowest it has been in 35 years. The prison is at 68% capacity with 525 inmates.

The first phase of the process will begin within 60-90 days. The reception and diagnostic center will be relocated to Souza-Baranowski Correctional Center (SBCC) in Lancaster.

Cedar Junction's two units with the most serious security concerns, the Department Disciplinary Unit (DDU) and the Behavioral Management Unit (BMU), will continue operating until 2024 when the DOC finds suitable alternative for each population.

During phase two, BMU inmates will be relocated to other state facilities. In the third phase, DDU will be dissolved.

Though Cedar Junction will not be used to house general population inmates in the future, the DOC said "limited functions" will continue.