The mission of the Norfolk County Sheriff’s Office it to serve the public safety needs of the residents of Norfolk County and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, through a commitment to fundamentally change the culture of its correctional facility, by making re-entry and reintegration the priority of its operations. The NCSO and its nearly 300 members seek to reimagine what is possible as a public safety agency, based on the four pillars of Prevention, Intervention, Education, & Hope.
The Norfolk County Correctional Center, which opened in Dedham in 1992, is a modern correctional facility operated under the principles of direct supervision. Under direct supervision, justice-involved individuals are classified according to the type of crime they committed and their criminal background. They are housed with similarly classified offenders in units within the jail.
The average sentence served at the Norfolk County Correctional Center is approximately 3 months. The Sheriff recognizes that virtually every Norfolk County offender will return to the community. Therefore, we have developed an Offender Reentry Program to prepare them for a successful transition to a law-abiding lifestyle upon their release. The program -- which the Massachusetts Attorney General hailed as a “model for the entire state” – helps offenders find employment, housing and support counseling outside the jail prior to their release so that they don’t just fall back into bad habits when they return to their communities. The Re-entry Program also informs local police departments and probation officers about impending releases so that offenders receive post-release supervision. When sex offenders complete their jail terms, Norfolk County Sheriff’s Office staff members drive them directly to their local police department to make certain that they register as sex offenders as required by law.
The Norfolk Sheriff’s Office provides a range of programs and services that are appropriate to the needs of offenders which include, but are not limited to: religious services, mentoring program, individual and group counseling, health education, recreation and leisure time activities and evidence-based programming.
These programs include, but are not limited to:
Offenders are eligible to participate in the Residential Substance Use Treatment Program or the Pre-Trial Substance Use Treatment Program which focus on substance use while utilizing cognitive behavioral therapy approach and evidence-based practices.
*Note: Substance Use Treatment includes Medication Assisted Treatment and Narcan education programming.
