Massachusetts Correctional Institution – Cedar Junction
| Location | Walpole / Norfolk, Massachusetts (South Walpole postal address, ZIP code 02071) |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 42°6′20.1″N 71°17′23.9″W / 42.105583°N 71.289972°W |
| Status | Closed |
| Security class | Level 6 (Maximum) |
| Capacity | Max. Capacity: 568
|
| Opened | 1955 |
| Closed | 2024 |
| Managed by | Massachusetts Department of Correction |
| Director | Superintendent Douglas DeMoura |
The Massachusetts Correctional Institution—Cedar Junction (MCI-Cedar Junction), formerly known as MCI-Walpole, was a mens maximum security prison under the jurisdiction of the Massachusetts Department of Correction. It was opened in 1956 to replace Charlestown State Prison, the oldest prison in the nation at that time. MCI-Cedar Junction is one of two (the other one being Souza-Baranowski Correctional Center) maximum security prisons for male offenders in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. As of January 6, 2020, there was 346 Maximum and 65 Medium inmates in general population beds. The MADOC announced on June 21, 2023 that they concluded housing operations at MCI-Cedar Junction.
MCI-Cedar Junction also housed the Departmental Disciplinary Unit (DDU). During the 1970s, Cedar Junction (then known as Walpole) was one of the most violent prisons in the United States. It is located on both sides of the line between the towns of Walpole and Norfolk, and has a South Walpole mailing address (South Walpole is not a political entity).
In 1955, Richard Cardinal Cushing, Archbishop of Boston, built Our Lady of the Ransom Chapel at the center of the prison. As of June 2009, MCI-Cedar Junction serves as the reception and diagnostic center, which receives all new male court commitments for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts' Department of Correction.