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SD 3131

Middlesex County Sheriff's Office Q1 2025 Population Report

194th Legislature (2025-2026)

Mandates quarterly, aggregate jail population reports with standardized data while protecting individual privacy.

Placed on file
0
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Bill Summary · SD 3131

Summary of SD 3131: Middlesex County Sheriff's Office Q1 2025 Population Report

Overview and purpose

  • Bill Number: SD 3131
  • Title: Middlesex County Sheriff's Office Q1 2025 Population Report
  • Status: Placed on file
  • Introduced: August 14, 2025
  • Purpose: Mandates quarterly, aggregate population reports for jails and houses of correction, aligning with Massachusetts General Laws Part I, Title XVIII, Chapter 126, Section 40. The reports are produced in partnership with the Executive Office of Public Safety & Security (EOPSS) using the Commonwealth’s Cross-Tracking System.

Key provisions

  • Data to be recorded for each person committed to a jail or house of correction (per Section 40): probation central file number (PCF), state identification number (SID, if available), race and ethnicity, offense-based tracking number (OBTN), type of release, type of admission, length of sentence, jail credit from pretrial incarceration, earned time, program participation and outcome, case disposition, and bail amount or reason if no bail is set.
  • Aggregate reporting: Sheriff’s Offices must assemble quarterly data into a report covering the entire quarter. Reports must exclude any identifiable information about individual inmates or detainees.
  • Reporting recipients: Each quarter, reports from each jail/house of correction are to be delivered to the Secretary of Public Safety and Security, the chairs of the Joint Committee on the Judiciary, the chairs of the Joint Committee on Public Safety and Homeland Security, and the clerks of the House and Senate.
  • Source of data: Reports are produced in partnership with EOPSS and rely on the CJCTS (Criminal Justice Cross-Tracking System).

Data definitions and limitations

  • PCF: Probation central file number (non-fingerprint-based identifier).
  • SID: Ten-character state identification number derived from fingerprint data (AFIS); created when an individual is fingerprinted.
  • OBTN: Unique identifier for a specific fingerprint/arrest/custody event.
  • Important limitations: Three data points—case disposition, bail amount, and bail reason—originate with the Trial Court and are not directly owned by Sheriff’s Offices. The MSA, Trial Court, and EOPSS are pursuing methods to retrieve these metrics electronically from Cross-Tracking System data.
  • Data lag: SID/PCF/OBTN may not be available at intake due to lag times in FBI processing; sheriff offices may have to populate data after receipt.

Affected parties

  • Primary: Middlesex County Sheriff’s Office (and all Massachusetts sheriffs’ offices generally, as the framework applies statewide).
  • State agencies and offices: Secretary of Public Safety and Security; EOPSS; Trial Court; Joint Committee on the Judiciary; Joint Committee on Public Safety and Homeland Security; clerks of the House and Senate.
  • Data systems: Massachusetts Criminal Justice Cross-Tracking System (CJCTS).

Procedural and timeline considerations

  • The bill is currently “placed on file,” indicating no further immediate action required in the current session for passage, but it establishes an ongoing quarterly reporting framework.
  • If enacted, the quarterly reporting would continue on a regular cycle (every quarter) with data delivered to specified legislative and executive bodies.

Potential impact

  • Increases transparency of jail populations with standardized, aggregated data while protecting individual privacy.
  • Improves cross-agency coordination and oversight of correctional data, including race/ethnicity and program outcomes.
  • Highlights data gaps tied to court-originated fields (case disposition, bail) and may accelerate improvements in data integration between Sheriff’s Offices and the Trial Court.

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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