The old Berkshire County jail was built at a time when anesthetic and repeating rifles were comparatively new inventions. The new jail comes equipped with a retinal scanner. According to Lt. Gov. Jane Swift, it is now the most high-tech facility in the Commonwealth. Last Friday, Swift cut the ribbon on the new Berkshire County House of Correction, signaling the start of a three-day public open house and a round of guided tours.
The new jail comes as part of the Cellucci administration’s stand against crime. “We're committed to putting violent criminals behind bars, where they belong,†Swift said. The state is also building a new Women’s Jail in Chicopee and a lock-up in Northampton.
“We have a right to know that we are safe in our homes, at our offices, in our streets,†said Sheriff Carmen C. Massimiano Jr., “or if not, that there is a constant watch.†He welcomed sheriffs from surrounding counties reaching as far as Boston; members of the Massachusetts Supreme Court; Michael J. Lambert, acting deputy commissioner, Construction Services Division of Capital Asset Management; and state and local officials to the ribbon cutting, to thank them for years of support for the project.
Pittsfield Mayor Gerald S. Doyle Jr. agreed that a correction facility is an important institution, because it gives the inmates a chance to be a part of their community, state, and nation. There is no greater tribute to a person, he said, than this jail is to Sheriff Massimiano, and it is well deserved.
The new jail represents $34 million and 23 years — and a lot of determined representation in the state Legislature. “Don’t assume that because this was necessary and right it was going to be taken care of,†Massimiano said, recognizing the representatives at the front who won him the funding to make it happen.
State Reps. Daniel E. Bosley (D-North Adams), Shaun P. Kelly (R-Dalton), Peter J. Larkin (D-Pittsfield) and Christopher J. Hodgkins (D-Lee) offered Massimiano their congratulations and remembered past victories for the jail. Ten years ago, when he first saw the bill discussing new houses of correction, it did not even mention Berkshire County, Kelly said. And in all those 10 years — in all the many gripes and complaints he has received — no one has ever called to complain about the Berkshire County jail system. This is a doubly strong testament to the sheriff, considering that the old jail was built just after the Civil War, and has been running at double capacity.
Massimiano, citing his famed inability to hang a picture correctly, adds thanks to Tom Mazzeo, director of the new facilities. The Rev. Michael Shershanovich, Catholic chaplain, Berkshire County Sheriff’s Office, opened the ceremony, and the Rev. Peter Gregory, pastor of St. Charles Church, chaplain of the Pittsfield Fire Department closed it, with their blessing.
The new facility covers 25 acres. Inmates live in 288 cells, grouped in eight pods of 36, with handicapped facilities. These include one woman’s pod, Captain Steve Como said, as he led a tour through. Berkshire County has sent its female prisoners to Springfield for many years, because the old jail had no place for them. This made a difficult situation even more painful; it was difficult for their families and children to visit them.
The jail is designed, as Como says most jails are now, to run on a system of direct supervision. One officer has authority over one pod. The officers know what’s going on, Como said; they can walk around, observe, and break up tense situations before fights have a chance to start. You can tell immediately if an officer is doing the job, Como said: the pod is quiet and clean. Three shifts of officers share one pod. It is important that they communicate well, and reinforce each other’s decisions, he said.
Como walks his tour through the center’s one disciplinary pod, a bare, cement gray area without furniture. Prisoners who refuse to follow rules and disrupt other areas may be transferred to this area. “We hope we never to have to use it,†Como said. There are smaller exercise areas outside of this pod. Asked about the doors at the far end of the room, with square windows at shoulder height and rectangular openings at hip height, he said they were showers. The guard has to be able to see the prisoner at all times. Before leaving the shower, a prisoner in this pod backs up to the door so he can be handcuffed though the opening. In this area, the prisoners are shackled.
The other pods have softer paint on the walls and foam furniture, made by inmates, in the central areas, where there will be TVs. Their cells contain what the detention cells do: bed, desk, toilet. Como said although the floors had been waxed for the open house, the jail will always be that clean. The inmates will clean their cells and common space every morning, and until the officer in charge is satisfied, the TV stays off. Some channels are not allowed in any case. These pods also have a few closed-off cells where officers can isolate disruptive inmates.
In general, Como describes the jail running on a kind of honor system. The officers expect the prisoners to behave well, to be quiet and neat, to walk in orderly lines if they leave their pods. The hallways are tiled in two different colors; inmates walk in the right, with an officer on the left watching them. Como estimated 90 percent of the inmates are cooperative and follow rules willingly; the staff spends most of its time dealing with the other 10 percent. At the old jail, they had such limited space they had to rotate groups of inmates, shutting one group in their cells to let another out. With the space they have in the new jail, they can allow most prisoners out of their cells for 10 or 12 hours a day. Except for meals and programs, they still stay in their common areas.
Massimiano focuses on treatment and education programs. “Why are we shocked when someone cannot speak English and turns to crime for a living?†He asked. The new facility has three classrooms, computers, and a library. They offer art classes, a Horizons job training program and a GED program. Como explained that most inmates in the Berkshire County jail had no high school diploma, and many took advantage of the GED. “It is the programs that make jails successful, keep them humane, and allow the inmates to succeed if it is in them to do so,†Massimiano said.
Just down the hall, Como points out the chapel, a medium-sized room with a ring of chairs and a dove flying on a red mural, and the chaplain’s office next door. The jail has nondenominational faith services, prayer groups, and Bible studies. Still farther down, there is space for substance abuse counseling and Alcoholics Anonymous meetings, and medical and dental facilities.
Como leads the way to the booking room. Here again, there are chairs and entertainment for those who wait quietly, and places to confine any who do not. Behind the desk, admitted inmates leave their property in a kind of giant cloakroom and receive sneakers, jump suits and underwear. The jail gives them what they have: “We control all the property,†Como said.
A woman who has already been “booked†demonstrates the iris scanner: she looks through an opening the size of a nickel, and a close-up of her eye loads onto the computer screen. Her “file†automatically pops up. The jail’s high-tech equipment also stretches to computers controlling lights, water, cameras and systems, and fire equipment designed to protect these computer areas, since the officers controlling the computers cannot leave their posts. These officers are used to punch cards and bookings on paper; they have had to train in the new computer operations.
In Central Control, officers watch images from 105 cameras, black-and-white cameras outside the jail and color inside. These officers control access to different areas within the facility. Doorways between the dining hall and kitchen, the medical area, the chapel and classrooms, the warehouses and booking areas where the tours walked freely, will be shut and sealed when the jail opens. The warehouses are attached to the correction facility, since trucks driving in and out pose a security risk. The jail serves about 1,700 meals a day, in two dining rooms that hold 72 people each. Inmates work in the kitchen, baking bread, boiling pasta in steam kettles higher than their waists. They have 35-40 minutes to eat each meal.
If you would like to contribute information on this article, contact us at info@iberkshires.com.
Your Comments
iBerkshires.com welcomes critical, respectful dialogue. Name-calling, personal attacks, libel, slander or foul language is not allowed. All comments are reviewed before posting and will be deleted or edited as necessary.
No Comments
Berkshire County Homes Celebrating Holiday Cheer
By Breanna SteeleiBerkshires Staff
There's holiday cheer throughout the Berkshires this winter.
Many homeowners are showing their holiday spirit by decorating their houses. We asked for submissions so those in the community can check out these fanciful lights and decor when they're out.
We asked the homeowners questions on their decorations and why they like to light up their houses.
In Great Barrington, Matt Pevzner has decorated his house with many lights and even has a Facebook page dedicated to making sure others can see the holiday joy.
Located at 93 Brush Hill Road, there's more than 61,000 lights strewn across the yard decorating trees and reindeer and even a polar bear.
The Pevzner family started decorating in September by testing their hundreds of boxes of lights. He builds all of his own decorations like the star 10-foot star that shines done from 80-feet up, 10 10-foot trees, nine 5-foot trees, and even the sleigh, and more that he also uses a lift to make sure are perfect each year.
"I always decorated but I went big during COVID. I felt that people needed something positive and to bring joy and happiness to everyone," he wrote. "I strive to bring as much joy and happiness as I can during the holidays. I love it when I get a message about how much people enjoy it. I've received cards thanking me how much they enjoyed it and made them smile. That means a lot."
Pevzner starts thinking about next year's display immediately after they take it down after New Year's. He gets his ideas by asking on his Facebook page for people's favorite decorations. The Pevzner family encourages you to take a drive and see their decorations, which are lighted every night from 5 to 10.
In North Adams, the Wilson family decorates their house with fun inflatables and even a big Santa waving to those who pass by.
The Wilsons start decorating before Thanksgiving and started decorating once their daughter was born and have grown their decorations each year as she has grown. They love to decorate as they used to drive around to look at decorations when they were younger and hope to spread the same joy.
"I have always loved driving around looking at Christmas lights and decorations. It's incredible what people can achieve these days with their displays," they wrote.
The Wilsons' invite you to come and look at their display at 432 Church St. that's lit from 4:30 to 10:30 every night, though if it's really windy, the inflatables might not be up as the weather will be too harsh.
In Pittsfield, Travis and Shannon Dozier decorated their house for the first time this Christmas as they recently purchased their home on Faucett Lane. The two started decorating in November, and hope to bring joy to the community.
"If we put a smile on one child's face driving by, then our mission was accomplished," they said.
Many homeowners are showing their holiday spirit by decorating their houses. We asked for submissions so those in the community can check out these fanciful lights and decor when they're out.
click for more
