Prisons and jails overcrowded across the state

Every prison and jail in Southeastern Massachusetts is operating over its capacity, and overcrowding is an issue facing every correctional institution in the state. In Bridgewater, the Old Colony Correctional Center was built to house 480 medium-security inmates but currently houses 809. At the Bristol County Jail and House of Correction in Dartmouth, every cell is double-bunked, and beds have taken over the gymnasium there, too, as the occupancy rate has skyrocketed to 384 percent. Overcrowding is a problem at the Norfolk County House of Correction, as three inmates share one cell. One sits on the toilet becaue there is no other place to sit and read.
John Tlumacki/ Globe Staff
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By Emily Sweeney, Globe Staff
Every prison and jail in Southeastern Massachusetts is operating over its capacity, and overcrowding is an issue facing every correctional institution in the state. In Bridgewater, the Old Colony Correctional Center was built to house 480 medium-security inmates but currently houses 809. At the Bristol County Jail and House of Correction in Dartmouth, every cell is double-bunked, and beds have taken over the gymnasium there, too, as the occupancy rate has skyrocketed to 384 percent.

Overcrowding is a problem at the Norfolk County House of Correction, as three inmates share one cell. One sits on the toilet becaue there is no other place to sit and read.