New Home for Women Nearing Release: A Fresh Start
The state has opened a small house near the old MCI‑Framingham prison to give women a gentler environment before they leave.
Up to twelve inmates will live there in a setting that looks more like a regular home than a jail.
The first group of five women is scheduled to move in on August 3.
Why It Matters
Researchers say that people who finish their time in a less strict facility are less likely to come back.
In 2019, only 20 % of women who left a lower‑security center returned to prison, compared with 25 % from medium‑security ones.
The House
- History: Former night‑visit spot for the South Middlesex Correctional Center.
- Renovation Cost: $143,000 after the prison closed in 2021.
- Interior Features:
- Wooden table on the first floor
- Framed art on the walls
- Kitchen with dishwasher, fridge, crockpot, and air fryer
- Living room feels like a family gathering place
- Bedrooms with neatly made bunk beds and blue comforters
- Security: A few cameras in common areas; a room upstairs for officers.
“Inside it feels like home, not a typical prison,” said one superintendent.
Correctional program officers help the women plan their return to society, with two officers from a nearby minimum‑security facility staying on site at all times.
Goals and Programs
- Normalization: Create living conditions similar to life outside prison whenever possible.
- Women can cook, eat together, and visit family in ways that other facilities don’t allow.
Eligibility & Stay Length
- Determined by the department’s classification system.
- Women close to finishing sentences and qualifying for minimum‑security placement are chosen.
- Stay varies: some may spend a year, others longer or shorter depending on sentence and behavior.
Significance
This is the department’s first true house for reentry, unlike other minimum‑security centers that are still institutional buildings.
It fills a long gap for women, who have had fewer options than men.
Nearby Amenities
Next door is a former barn turned Learning Annex, equipped with yoga mats, a TV, projector, books, and games.
Women from the house will use it to meet visitors.
Ongoing Development
Many rules and routines are still being developed.
Staff say residents will help create handbooks so everyone knows what’s expected.
Context
The new house stands beside the aging MCI‑Framingham complex, a brick structure with old windows and barbed wire fences.
The contrast highlights ongoing debates about the prison’s future, including plans to modernize it for $360 million that have faced criticism from many advocacy groups.
