Bill Would Block MCI-Framingham Replacement

FRAMINGHAM, MA —State lawmakers are aiming to stop the construction of a prison that would replace MCI-Framingham and the South Middlesex Correctional Center (SMCC).

Northampton state Sen. Joanne Comerford has introduced a bill that would block the state from building any new prisons. The state in January began seeking proposals to study whether to rebuild MCI-Framingham and SMCC.

Comerford's bill, which Framingham state Rep. Jack Lewis is cosponsoring, would halt planning activities for new prisons, expansions or renovations of existing buildings and converting existing prisons. State officials have previously identified the Bay State Correctional Center in Norfolk as a potential new site for a state women's prison.

MCI-Framingham is the oldest women's prison in the U.S., and its population has been reduced to about 135 in January, according to state officials. That same month, the state either released or moved about 26 SMCC inmates as part of what was called a "temporary closure."

After seeking proposals for a $550,000 study on a new prison, the state Designer Selection Board in February picked three firms as finalists.