Massachusetts General Laws ch. 126 sec. 40 – Recording and reporting of data on population of jails and houses of correction
Section 40. The sheriff shall record, without limitation, the following data for each person committed to a jail or house of correction: (i) probation central file number; (ii) fingerprint-based state identification number, if available; (iii) race and ethnicity; (iv) offense-based tracking number; (v) type of release; (vi) type of admission; (vii) length of sentence; (viii) jail credit from pretrial incarceration; (ix) earned time; (x) program participation and outcome during incarceration; (xi) case disposition; and (xii) bail amount or reason if no bail set.
Terms Used In Massachusetts General Laws ch. 126 sec. 40
- Bail: Security given for the release of a criminal defendant or witness from legal custody (usually in the form of money) to secure his/her appearance on the day and time appointed.
- Joint committee: Committees including membership from both houses of teh legislature. Joint committees are usually established with narrow jurisdictions and normally lack authority to report legislation.
- Probation: A sentencing alternative to imprisonment in which the court releases convicted defendants under supervision as long as certain conditions are observed.
Aggregate data on the population of each jail and house of correction shall be assembled into a quarterly report with the reported data covering the entire quarterly period. The reports prepared by the sheriff shall contain no identifying information relating to an individual inmate or detainee.
Each quarter the sheriff shall deliver the report from each jail and house of correction to the secretary of public safety and security, the house and senate chairs of the joint committee on the judiciary, the house and senate chairs of the joint committee on public safety and homeland security and the clerks of the house of representatives and the senate.