Suffolk County Inmate Population

Suffolk County holds inmates at two jail sites run by the Suffolk County Sheriff's Department under Sheriff Steven W. Tompkins. The Nashua Street Jail in downtown Boston holds pretrial detainees, while the South Bay House of Correction holds sentenced inmates. Together these two sites have a combined capacity of about 2,574 beds. Suffolk County does not have an online inmate search tool, so you need to call the records office at each facility or submit a written public records request to find out who is currently in custody. This page covers how to search the Suffolk County inmate population, how to visit, and how to get records from the sheriff and district attorney.

Suffolk County Sheriff's Department

The Suffolk County Sheriff's Department manages the county's inmate population across two facilities. Sheriff Steven W. Tompkins oversees both sites. The department handles intake, housing, transport, and release for all people held on county charges or awaiting trial in Suffolk County courts.

Suffolk County is the most urban county in Massachusetts. It includes Boston, Chelsea, Revere, and Winthrop. Courts in this county send a high volume of pretrial detainees and sentenced inmates through the sheriff's system each year. The department also runs reentry programs, educational classes, and vocational training for people in its care. Staff at both jails can help with inmate lookup requests by phone during normal business hours.

The Suffolk County Sheriff's Department website has general information about programs and services but does not include an inmate search tool.

The screenshot below shows the sheriff's department home page.

You can reach the sheriff's main office through the contact details on their site for general questions about the inmate population.

Suffolk County Inmate Population Facilities

Suffolk County splits its inmate population between two sites. Each one serves a different purpose. Nashua Street Jail holds pretrial detainees. South Bay House of Correction holds sentenced inmates. Knowing which facility a person is at helps you call the right records office.

Nashua Street Jail (Pretrial)

Nashua Street Jail sits at 200 Nashua Street in Boston. It has a capacity of 682 beds. This is where people go after arrest if they don't make bail or if a judge orders them held. Most people here have not been convicted yet. They are waiting for trial or a plea deal. The jail is close to the courthouses in downtown Boston, which makes it easy to move inmates to court dates.

To ask about an inmate at Nashua Street, call the records office at (617) 635-1100 ext. 3005. Staff can tell you if a person is in custody there. They can also give you basic booking info like the date the person came in and what charges they face. You will need the full name of the person you are looking for.

South Bay House of Correction (Sentenced)

South Bay House of Correction is at 20 Bradston Street in Boston. It has a capacity of 1,892 beds, making it the larger of the two Suffolk County jails. People here are serving sentences of up to two and a half years. Some inmates may also be held on civil commitments or immigration detainers. South Bay is where most of the county's programs and services are based, since sentenced inmates stay long enough to take part in them.

Call the South Bay records office at (617) 635-1000 ext. 2017 to check on an inmate. Staff can confirm if a person is housed there and give you their expected release date if one has been set. You need the person's full name to run a search. If you don't know which facility holds the person, try calling both.

How to Search the Inmate Population

Suffolk County does not offer an online inmate locator. This is different from some other Massachusetts counties and from the state prison system, which has a web-based search tool at mass.gov. For county-level searches in Suffolk, you have to use the phone or mail.

The fastest way to find someone is to call. For pretrial inmates, call Nashua Street records at (617) 635-1100 ext. 3005. For sentenced inmates, call South Bay records at (617) 635-1000 ext. 2017. Give the staff member the person's full legal name. They will tell you if that person is in custody. If you are not sure which site holds the person, just call both. It takes a few minutes each time.

Suffolk County does not take part in the VINE (Victim Information and Notification Everyday) system. In many other Massachusetts counties, VINELink lets you search for inmates and sign up for release alerts. That option is not available here. If you need to know when an inmate gets out, you have to call the facility and ask.

You can also search court records through MassCourts. This free state tool shows case docket information for criminal cases in Suffolk County courts. It won't tell you if a person is still in jail, but it shows charges, hearing dates, and case outcomes. You can search by name or case number.

Inmate Population Public Records Requests

Massachusetts public records law gives you the right to request documents about the Suffolk County inmate population. Under M.G.L. c. 66, § 10, any person can ask a government agency for records it keeps. The law defines public records broadly in M.G.L. c. 4, § 7, covering most documents made or received by state and county agencies.

To request records from the Suffolk County Sheriff's Department, contact the Records Access Officer, Brigid Finnegan, at Bfinnegan@scsdma.org or by phone at (617) 635-1100 ext. 3082. Fax requests go to (617) 704-6693. Written requests are preferred. The department has 10 business days to respond. You can ask for things like booking logs, daily population counts, incident reports, or other records tied to the inmate population.

If the sheriff's office denies your request or takes too long, you can file an appeal with the Supervisor of Records within 90 days. Call (617) 727-2832 or email pre@sec.state.ma.us. The state's public records portal has more details on how this process works.

District Attorney Records

The Suffolk County District Attorney's office is another source of records tied to the inmate population. The DA prosecutes criminal cases in Suffolk County, and their files hold charging documents, plea agreements, and sentencing recommendations. You can submit a public records request to the DA's office under the same state law that applies to the sheriff.

The screenshot below shows the Suffolk County District Attorney's website.

The DA's office processes public records requests through a dedicated email address.

The DA's public records page has its own instructions for how to submit a request. The screenshot below shows that page.

Keep in mind that some records from ongoing criminal cases may be exempt from disclosure until the case is closed.

Visiting Inmates in Suffolk County

Both Suffolk County jails allow visits, but the rules and hours are different at each site. You must register as a visitor before your first visit. The registration process takes about 10 days. Each inmate can have up to three approved adult visitors. Inmates get three visits per week, and each visit lasts one hour.

Nashua Street Jail has set visiting hours every day. Morning visits run from 8:00 AM to 10:30 AM. Afternoon visits are 1:00 PM to 2:45 PM, then 3:30 PM to 5:00 PM. Evening visits go from 7:00 PM to 8:45 PM. South Bay House of Correction visiting hours vary by housing unit. Call (617) 635-1000 ext. 2294 to find out the schedule for the unit where your person is housed.

To put money on an inmate's account, you can bring a bank check or money order to either facility between 8:00 AM and 2:00 PM or 4:00 PM and 9:00 PM. Cash and personal checks are not accepted. The most you can deposit at one time is $500. These funds go into the inmate's commissary account.

Inmate Programs and Reentry

The Suffolk County Sheriff's Department runs several programs for its inmate population. These focus on education, job skills, and getting ready to go back into the community. Most programs run at South Bay House of Correction since sentenced inmates have the time to take part.

Education programs include Adult Basic Education (ABE), English as a Second Language (ESL), and HiSET prep for a high school equivalency diploma. On the vocational side, inmates can take classes in auto repair, culinary arts (a 360-hour program), carpentry, urban farming, and retail training. These programs aim to give people real skills they can use after release, which can help cut down on the chance they end up back in custody.

For reentry, the department runs two transitional houses. Brooke House serves men, and McGrath House serves women. These sites give a step between jail and full release. Residents can work, attend classes, and rebuild ties with the community while still under supervision. The Massachusetts Sheriffs' Association has more details on reentry programs across the state.

Statewide Inmate Population Resources

If you think the person you are looking for might be in a state prison rather than a county jail, the Massachusetts Department of Correction has a free online inmate search tool. State prisons hold people sentenced to more than two and a half years. Anyone with a shorter sentence or awaiting trial stays in a county facility like the ones in Suffolk County.

The state court system at masscourts.org lets you look up case records from any Massachusetts court. This can help you figure out where a case was heard and what the outcome was. For victims of crime, some counties use VINELink for inmate tracking and release alerts, but Suffolk County is not part of that system.

Cities in Suffolk County

Suffolk County has four cities and towns. All of them fall under the Suffolk County Sheriff's Department for jail and inmate population matters.

Chelsea and Winthrop are also in Suffolk County but do not have their own pages on this site.

Nearby Counties

These counties border Suffolk County. If the person you are looking for was arrested in a neighboring county, they would be held at that county's jail, not at a Suffolk County facility.