Definitions

Assistant Deputy Commissioner of Reentry. A senior level manager who reports to the Deputy Commissioner of Reentry, and is responsible for ensuring policy compliance and standardization of procedures in such areas as classification, date computation, victim services, inmate records, inmate programs and reentry, and inmate training and education. Business Day. Any day except Saturday, Sunday, or a Massachusetts legal holiday. CJIS/LEAPS. Nation-wide computer details of any outstanding warrant entered by the agency holding the warrant. Classification Board. A committee of three DOC employees which makes recommendations concerning an inmate’s custody level and program participation. Commissioner. The chief executive officer of the DOC. (MA REG. # 1353, Dated 12-1-17) Commissioner’s Designee. A DOC manager who is authorized by the Commissioner to review classification board recommendations and to render final decisions for the Commissioner as the Commissioner’s designee. Correctional Program Officer (CPO). The staff person at an institution who, when assigned classification duties, collects information obtained through inmate interviews and available casework records, and who prepares a summary of this information for classification. A CPO is also responsible for monitoring an inmate’s participation and compliance with a personalized program plan or program recommendations and facilitates reentry preparation. Custody Level. The level of risk posed by an inmate to the safety and security of the institution and the public as determined by the Objective Classification Score and any applicable restriction(s) or override(s). Departmental Disciplinary Unit (DDU). A restricted area or areas designated by the Commissioner to which an inmate has been sentenced by a special hearing officer. Departmental Review Board. A classification board appointed by the Commissioner or designee to review an inmate’s case history and program needs and to make recommendations to the Commissioner or designee regarding the inmate’s classification in unusual or complex situations. Deputy Commissioner of Clinical Services and Reentry. A Department Deputy Commissioner whose duties include, but are not limited to, the management of the Classification Division, Inmate Education and Training Division, Reentry and Program Services Division, and the Health Services Division. Emergency. A threat to the safety, security or orderly administration of an institution or to the safety or security of staff, inmates, or other persons. Higher Security Transfer. The transfer of an inmate to an institution that is more secure than the institution from which the inmate is being transferred. A transfer to an out of state or federal facility shall be considered a higher security transfer. Inmate Management System (IMS). The DOC’s automated information system that provides processing, storage and retrieval of inmate-related information needed by DOC personnel and other authorized users within the criminal justice system. Institution. Any facility within which a Massachusetts state-sentenced inmate may be incarcerated, including, but not limited to, a state or county correctional facility, a federal or other state’s correctional facility, the Bridgewater State Hospital, and the Massachusetts Treatment Center. Institutional Director of Classification. The staff person at an institution who has been designated to oversee the classification process and implementation of 103 CMR 420.00 at the institution level. Internal Classification Status Review. A periodic review conducted by a CPO and subject to review by the Institutional Director of Classification. Needs Assessment. The identification, evaluation, and estimation of criminogenic needs of an inmate and the identification of appropriate programming and placement to address those criminogencic needs areas. Objective Point Base Classification Operational Manual. A training manual with operational definitions and instructions. The Operational Manual is used to assist staff in applying the classification criteria and appropriately scoring the variables and any applicable overrides and/or restrictions. Objective Point Base Classification System. The standardized evaluation and custody assignment of an inmate based on objectively defined criteria. The criteria are weighed, scored, and organized into a valid and reliable classification instrument accompanied by an operational manual for applying the instrument to inmates in a systematic manner. Official Version (OV). A statement of the facts upon which the inmate’s sentence was based. Override. A departure from a scored custody level, based on the professional judgment of trained staff. Overrides are contained in the Male and Female Objective Point Base Classification Manuals. Personalized Program Plan. A plan that charts the course of action for the inmate, the CPO, and the service providers on addressing the criminogenic needs of the inmate, progress made, and compliance issues. The plan begins at intake and is continuously updated based on the inmate’s risk, needs assessment, if applicable, and record review including but not limited to any secondary assessment. Receiving Institution. The institution to which an inmate will be transferred upon approval by the Commissioner or designee. Reception Center. The institution to which the inmate is initially committed. Reclassification. Any and all classification processes that occur after initial classification. Restriction. A departure from a scored custody level, based on DOC’s practices of restricting or limiting the custody level of certain inmates. Staff do not have the authority to disregard restrictions. Restrictions are contained in the Male and Female Objective Point Base Classification Manuals. Risk Assessment. The identification, evaluation, and estimation of the levels of criminogenic risk factors which are characteristic of an inmate or his or her situation which then assist in predicting future criminal behavior. Security Level. The degree of security afforded by the architectural and staffing attributes of the institution and housing units within that institution. Sending Institution. The institution from which an inmate will be transferred upon approval by the Commissioner or designee. Secure Treatment Unit. A maximum security residential treatment program designed to provide an alternative to Segregation for inmates diagnosed with SMI who cannot be housed in general population due to safety and/or security concerns. The Department currently operates two STUs: the Secure Treatment Program (STP) and the Behavioral Management Unit (BMU). The Department also operates RTUs which are not deemed STUs because the Department operates them as general population units. Superintendent. The chief administrative officer of an institution or a county correctional institution. Telephone Interpreter Service. A service contracted by the DOC to provide over-the-phone interpretation services to non-English speaking inmates. Transfer. The act of moving an inmate from one institution or security level to another institution or security level upon approval by the Commissioner or designee. An inmate’s movement to an out of state or federal facility shall be considered a transfer for purposes of 103 CMR 420.00.