The Real Cost of Prisons Weblog

Prison a source of funds, jobs for town
By Geoff Mosher / News Staff Writer
Wednesday, December 1, 2004

WALPOLE -- It's been nearly a half-century since the town first became home to a maximum security prison. The prison's name was changed several years ago to allow the town to distance itself from facility. Over the years, the stigma has gradually faded.

But even in a time when the prison's name is scarcely mentioned, MCI-Cedar Junction remains closely connected to the town of Walpole.

For many years, the town's six-member Prison Advisory Committee has met biannually with prison officials to share information and express concerns. The selectmen-appointed committee met Monday night at the prison, Superintendent David Nolan said during a media tour yesterday of Cedar Junction.

"We have a rapport where they can call my office at any time," Nolan said.

The committee is made up of Town Administrator Michael Boynton; residents Nadine Bailey, Joanne Kiscavitch, John Garoak, Charles Brassil and Stephanie Ward; Nolan, and the prison's deputies of community relations and programs. Police Chief Richard Stillman and Deputy Fire Chief Tim Bailey were also on hand Monday night.

The meeting took place three weeks after a prisoner got out of his cell and attacked two guards with a makeshift knife, seriously injuring one of them. Corrections officials yesterday would not discuss the incident, which is still under investigation by the District Attorney's Office.

Yesterday the inside of Cedar Junction appeared relatively quiet, which Nolan said is the norm.

The prison employs 520 people full-time; 440 of them are corrections officers.

Fifteen of the corrections officers hail from the Neponset towns of Walpole, Dedham, Norwood and Westwood, said Diane Wiffin, spokeswoman for the Department of Corrections.

There are three other corrections facilities in neighboring Norfolk that also employ residents from the region: MCI-Norfolk, a medium-security facility; the Pondville Correctional Center, medium-security; and the Bay State Correctional Center, minimum security.

"The Department of Corrections is a significant employer of people from the area," Wiffin said.

Cedar Junction also employs about 170 inmates, or 30 percent of the prison population, in a variety of jobs, said Abbe Nelligan, the director of classification for the DOC.

About 40 prisoners at Cedar Junction make all of the state's license plates, working five days a week for $5.50 a day. "It's one of the most sought-after jobs because the pay is so high," Nelligan said.

Beside license plate manufacturing, janitorial work is the second-largest employment opportunity for inmates, Nelligan said. There is an "extensive" waiting list for most jobs.

Although the Fire Department makes about 50 trips a year to MCI-Cedar Junction, Walpole Police do not respond to incidents at the facility, said Lt. Scott Bushway. "We don't because it's a state facility, and they're equipped to handle anything," Bushway said.

Walpole Fire, however, has dispatched ambulances 49 times to the prison since February, said Deputy Chief Tim Bailey. Since 1999, the department has sent its ambulances there a total of 229 times, Bailey said.

"They handle all the small stuff up there," he said. "Anything else, they call for our assistance."

Cedar Junction has also been a source of state funds for the town in the past couple of years.

In September, the state Department of Correction notified Walpole that it would receive a $69,000 reimbursement plus $500,000 for being home to one of the state's maximum security prisons.

The reimbursement was up in the air until August, when the Legislature overrode Gov. Mitt Romney's veto of the funds for Walpole in the fiscal 2005 budget.

This will be the second straight year the town will receive the money to make up for being home to the prison. Each year, the town receives a reimbursement based on the number of inmates at the prison. Last year, the town received $67,000 and in fiscal 2003 the amount was $50,000.

Assistant Town Administrator Jim Johnson said the $500,000 has been earmarked for capital projects but not spent. The town is considering spending the money on capital budget projects, such as upgrading the Turco Field bleachers, which could cost $293,000; improving air quality at Johnson Middle School, a $250,000 project; and special education overruns.

Walpole is expected to assemble a list of projects and other one-time expenses. A joint recommendation by the Finance Committee, School Committee, Capital Budget Committee and town administration will be made. The recommendations then need to be voted on by Town Meeting.

Since 1956, Walpole has shared its boundaries with MCI-Cedar Junction. Until two years ago, it was the only maximum security facility in Massachusetts. The mitigation funds helps the town absorb some of the costs of providing emergency assistance to the prison. It can be used at the town's discretion.

Last year, Town Meeting approved using $40,000 of the prison cash for a design survey of the Turco Field bleachers. The remaining money, $460,000, was put in the town's stabilization fund. And, the $67,000 was used for balancing the general fund budget.

In addition to Walpole, 10 towns where prison facilities are located receive mitigation money, including Framingham, Concord and Norfolk.

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