Bill
SD 1342
Standardizes quarterly jail-population reporting by sheriffs, providing non-identifying, aggregate data to state safety/judiciary offices to boost transparency.
Status: Placed on file (Introduced January 21, 2025)
Purpose and intent
- This proposed Massachusetts bill, SD 1342, codifies and expands the quarterly population reporting requirements for sheriffs’ offices, aligning with Massachusetts General Laws, Part I, Title XVIII, Chapter 126, Section 40.
- It aims to standardize, across sheriffs’ offices, the collection and public reporting of jail and house of correction population data, with an emphasis on comprehensive data elements while preserving individual anonymity.
Key provisions
- Per-person data collection (for each person committed to a jail or house of correction):
- Probation Central File (PCF) number
- State Identification Number (SID), if available (fingerprint-based)
- 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 outcomes during incarceration
- Case disposition
- Bail amount or reason if no bail set
- Reporting requirement:
- Each sheriff must compile an aggregate quarterly report covering the entire quarterly period.
- Reports must be non-identifying (no individually identifying information).
- Reports from each jail/house of correction must be submitted to:
- Secretary of Public Safety and Security
- House and Senate chairs of the Joint Committee on the Judiciary
- House and Senate chairs of the Joint Committee on Public Safety and Homeland Security
- Clerks of the House of Representatives and the Senate
- The reporting is produced in partnership with the Executive Office of Public Safety & Security (EOPSS) using data from the Commonwealth’s Criminal Justice Cross-Tracking System.
Data elements, definitions, and data source
- Data definitions provided for PCF number, SID, and OBTN, clarifying identification and linkage across events.
- Data sources rely on cross-system data (Cross-Tracking System) and are intended to integrate with state systems for consistency.
- Important limitation noted: three data points (case disposition, bail amount, and reason if no bail set) originate with the Trial Court and are not owned by Sheriff’s Offices; the MSA, Trial Court, and EOPSS are working to refine metrics so these can be retrieved and reported electronically.
Data impact and audience
- Affects: Norfolk County Sheriff’s Office (and other sheriffs’ offices statewide), the Executive Office of Public Safety & Security, and legislative committees on judiciary and public safety.
- Outcome: Greater transparency and standardized data on jail populations, including program participation and outcomes, with improved interagency data sharing.
Procedural/timeline aspects
- The bill is currently in a reporting/placement stage (placed on file). If enacted, the quarterly reports would be delivered following each calendar quarter, with data compiled under the Cross-Tracking System framework.
Overall, SD 1342 seeks to enhance consistency, transparency, and interagency data integration in quarterly jail population reporting, while acknowledging current data ownership limitations and ongoing efforts to harmonize metrics with the Trial Court.
Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.
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