Massachusetts searches for new Department of Correction Commissioner

Massachusetts is looking for a new commissioner of the Department of Correction, following the retirement of Commissioner Carol Mici. She officially retired last week after five years at the helm if the state's prison system.

The state Executive Office of Public Safety and Security said the governor's office is "finalizing plans to establish a comprehensive search process" to identify and review prospective candidates for the next commissioner.

The role includes overseeing 14 Massachusetts prisons that hold more than 6,000 people in custody. The department's budget for the 2024 fiscal year was more than $800 million.

During Mici's tenure, two state prisons were closed because of a declining number of prisoners. The Healey adminstration said the state has the lowest number of people in custody in 35 years. The state closed MCI- Cedar Junction in Walpole last year and has announced plans to close MCI-Concord.

Mici has been working for the Department of Correction since 1987.

"Commissioner Mici has served Massachusetts for nearly 40 years, and I am deeply grateful for her significant contributions to criminal justice reform, operational enhancements, rehabilitation, and recidivism reduction,” Healey said in the statement. “Massachusetts has benefitted greatly from her steady leadership and many years of selfless service.”

Shawn Jenkins, the DOC’s chief of staff since 2022, will serve as interim commissioner. Jenkins worked previously as special sheriff with the Middlesex Sheriff’s Office and the Worcester County Sheriff’s Office and also worked with the Sex Offender Registry Board.