Massachusetts Correctional Institution - Concord
Encyclopedia
The Massachusetts Correctional Institution at Concord (MCI-Concord) is a medium security prison for men located in Concord
, Massachusetts
in the United States
. Opened in 1878, it is the oldest running state prison for men in Massachusetts. This prison is under the jurisdiction of the Massachusetts Department of Correction
.
on state Route 2. A Massachusetts State Police
barracks (Troop A-3) and the Northeastern Correctional Center
(Minimum Security) are located across the highway from the prison. The prison houses over 1,350 medium, maximum, and protective custody inmates. This prison was visited in 1988 by Mother Theresa on her trip touring all MA prisons and also by Cardinal Sean O' Malley in 2008.
veteran General Chamberlain as its warden. The State Reformatory at Concord was established in 1884 as a facility where prisoners under 30 years of age could learn a trade to be used on their return to society. In 1893, additional construction added 230 cells to the existing facility. In 1955, the Concord Reformatory was abolished and the prison was renamed to the Massachusetts Correctional Institution at Concord. MCI-Concord served as the department's Reception and Diagnostic Center for all new court commitments of the male offender until June of 2009. Currently, it is designated as a medium security facility.
Timothy Leary
's Concord Prison Experiment
was conducted at MCI Concord during the early 1960s.
965 Elm Street
P.O. Box 9106
Concord, MA 01742
Phone: (978) 405-6100
Concord, Massachusetts
Concord is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, in the United States. As of the 2010 census, the town population was 17,668. Although a small town, Concord is noted for its leading roles in American history and literature.-History:...
, Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Opened in 1878, it is the oldest running state prison for men in Massachusetts. This prison is under the jurisdiction of the Massachusetts Department of Correction
Massachusetts Department of Correction
The Massachusetts Department of Correction is responsible for operating the prison system of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, US Massachusetts houses over 11,500 inmates throughout 18 correctional facilities and employs over 5,000 employees...
.
Facility
MCI Concord is a level 4, medium level security prison. The prison is located in Concord, MassachusettsConcord, Massachusetts
Concord is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, in the United States. As of the 2010 census, the town population was 17,668. Although a small town, Concord is noted for its leading roles in American history and literature.-History:...
on state Route 2. A Massachusetts State Police
Massachusetts State Police
The Massachusetts State Police is an agency of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts' Executive Office of Public Safety and Security responsible for criminal law enforcement and traffic vehicle regulation across the state...
barracks (Troop A-3) and the Northeastern Correctional Center
Northeastern Correctional Center
The Northeastern Correctional Center is a minimum security/pre-release state prison in Massachusetts that opened in 1932. The NECC sits on 300 acres of farmland and provides many inmates with work opportunities prior to being released from prison...
(Minimum Security) are located across the highway from the prison. The prison houses over 1,350 medium, maximum, and protective custody inmates. This prison was visited in 1988 by Mother Theresa on her trip touring all MA prisons and also by Cardinal Sean O' Malley in 2008.
History
MCI Concord opened in May 1878 as the New State Prison at Concord with Mexican WarMexican War
Mexican War may refer to:*Mexican War of Independence *Mexican–American War *French intervention in Mexico *Mexican Revolution *Mexican Civil War *Cristero War *Mexican Drug War...
veteran General Chamberlain as its warden. The State Reformatory at Concord was established in 1884 as a facility where prisoners under 30 years of age could learn a trade to be used on their return to society. In 1893, additional construction added 230 cells to the existing facility. In 1955, the Concord Reformatory was abolished and the prison was renamed to the Massachusetts Correctional Institution at Concord. MCI-Concord served as the department's Reception and Diagnostic Center for all new court commitments of the male offender until June of 2009. Currently, it is designated as a medium security facility.
Timothy Leary
Timothy Leary
Timothy Francis Leary was an American psychologist and writer, known for his advocacy of psychedelic drugs. During a time when drugs like LSD and psilocybin were legal, Leary conducted experiments at Harvard University under the Harvard Psilocybin Project, resulting in the Concord Prison...
's Concord Prison Experiment
Concord Prison Experiment
The Concord Prison Experiment was designed to evaluate whether the experiences produced by the psychoactive drug psilocybin, derived from psilocybin mushrooms, combined with psychotherapy, could inspire prisoners to leave their antisocial lifestyles behind once they were released...
was conducted at MCI Concord during the early 1960s.
1882 Riot
In early July, 1882 at 12 AM inmates at the Concord Reformatory began to cause a disturbance by shouting and banging on doors. The noise went on for hours and the prison's warden decided to punish the inmates by revoking their yard privileges for July 4th. This caused the disturbance to escalate with inmates breaking down wooden doors and furniture being destroyed. The riot stopped three days later.1972 Riot
On November 22, 1972, inmates in E Building began rioting and causing a major disturbance. Correction officers requested assistance and seventy-five state police officers (along with four sharpshooters) were sent to the Concord Reformatory to put down the uprising.Notable inmates
- Malcolm XMalcolm XMalcolm X , born Malcolm Little and also known as El-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz , was an African American Muslim minister and human rights activist. To his admirers he was a courageous advocate for the rights of African Americans, a man who indicted white America in the harshest terms for its...
was an inmate at the Concord Reformatory (now MCI-Concord) for 15 months in 1947 and 1948. - John GeoghanJohn GeoghanJohn J. Geoghan was a key figure in the Roman Catholic sex abuse cases that rocked the Boston Archdiocese in the 1990s and 2000s and led to the resignation of Boston's archbishop, Cardinal Bernard Francis Law, on December 13, 2002.-Career Summary:...
, a figure in the Roman Catholic sex abuse casesRoman Catholic sex abuse casesThe Catholic sex abuse cases are a series of convictions, trials and ongoing investigations into allegations of sex crimes committed by Catholic priests and members of religious orders. These cases began receiving public attention beginning in the mid-1980s...
, was in protective custodyProtective custodyProtective custody is a type of imprisonment to protect a prisoner from harm, either from outside sources or other prisoners. Many administrators believe the level of violence, or the underlying threat of violence within prisoners, is a chief factor causing the need for PC units...
at the institution. - Leeland Eisenberg: the man who held Hillary Clinton's campaign workers hostage in Dec. 2007: sentenced on September 11, 1987 to 11–20 years at MCI-Concord for rape until his release in March 2005.
- Cameron Lacroix, the teen hacker best known for compromising the personal account of a T-Mobile Sidekick belonging to Paris HiltonParis HiltonParis Whitney Hilton is an American businesswoman, heiress, and socialite. She is a great-granddaughter of Conrad Hilton . Hilton is known for her controversial participation in a sex tape in 2003, and appearance on the television series The Simple Life alongside fellow socialite and childhood...
.
Facility Address
MCI-Concord965 Elm Street
P.O. Box 9106
Concord, MA 01742
Phone: (978) 405-6100