Suffolk County House of Correction Inmate Lookup

Suffolk County House of Correction Overview

The official SCSD South Bay House of Correction page describes the facility as an eight-building, decentralized direct-supervision correctional center operated by the Suffolk County Sheriff's Department. The House of Correction holds adult male and female inmates convicted of crimes with sentences of 2.5 years or less. Public visiting materials also reference some detainee groups by unit, including NSJ detainees and male or female immigration detainees, but those schedule labels should not be treated as a current count.

South Bay is the sentenced-county-custody counterpart to the Suffolk County Jail at Nashua Street. If a person was just arrested and is awaiting arraignment, bail, trial, or court transport, Nashua Street Records is usually the better first call. If the person is serving a county sentence or has been assigned into House of Correction housing or programming, HOC Records is the correct facility-level contact.

The official South Bay screenshot below is tied to SCSD's HOC page and is the matching facility image from the project manifest.

View the official SCSD South Bay House of Correction source page.

The image belongs on the House of Correction page because it documents the South Bay facility overview, fast facts, visiting information, directions, and public contact details.

Suffolk County House of Correction Capacity and Population

SCSD lists 674 cells and 1,892 beds at the House of Correction. The official page also says the facility was originally designed for 900 inmates and that its average daily population is approximately 840. The research captured these facility-page numbers on June 17, 2026. SCSD's narrative describes 27 separate housing units, while the fast facts list 32 housing units, so both figures should be attributed to SCSD rather than forced into one corrected number.

SCSD says South Bay opened on December 26, 1991, to replace the Deer Island correctional facility and was built at a cost of $115 million. Its population rose from 832 offenders after opening to nearly 1,900 in 2000 before declining over later years to the current average daily population figure on the official page.

How to Look Up an Inmate at Suffolk County House of Correction

No official SCSD public web roster was located for South Bay. The SCSD FAQ gives the facility-specific phone route: for inquiries regarding the House of Correction, call Records at (617) 635-1000 x2017. This is the main county-level channel for a person believed to be in HOC custody.

1. Call HOC Records at (617) 635-1000 x2017 when the person is serving a county sentence or is believed to be housed at South Bay.
2. Have the person's full legal name, date of birth or approximate age, sentencing court, arresting agency, and known booking or inmate ID ready.
3. Ask whether the person is housed at South Bay, whether a unit affects visits, and whether any transfer to court, Nashua Street, MADOC, federal custody, or immigration custody is involved.
4. If the person cannot be located, check Massachusetts VINE for custody status, MassCourts for the criminal case, and the SCSD public-records route for documents.

Suffolk County House of Correction Address and Contact

The South Bay phone tree separates Records, Visits, Accounts, Social Services, Education, and Medical. Call before visiting because the schedule depends on facility approval, the person's unit, and appointment availability.

Visiting Someone at Suffolk County House of Correction

South Bay visits require more advance approval than Nashua Street visits. SCSD says visitor selection cards are distributed to inmates, each inmate may designate up to three adults for personal visits, and each visitor must complete an application. Applications are available at the lobby registration desk daily between 3 p.m. and 11 p.m. The application must be returned with a copy of identification and a self-addressed stamped envelope, and processing may take up to 10 days.

The HOC visiting schedule is unit-specific. Published unit labels include building and unit references, infirmary, segregation and SHU references, NSJ detainees, and male or female immigration detainee labels. Because the person's housing status controls the visit window, do not rely on one universal time block.

Mail, Phone, and Money at Suffolk County House of Correction

SCSD's FAQ gives the House of Correction mailing format and the same general jail-mail rules used for county custody. Include the inmate's name and ID number, use black ink on clean white paper, avoid multi-layered greeting cards, and include a return address with the sender's name. All mail is searched before processing and forwarding.

Sentenced Custody and Intake at Suffolk County House of Correction

South Bay is not simply a second name for the Nashua Street Jail. Its strongest official role is county sentenced custody for people convicted of crimes with sentences of 2.5 years or less. A person may reach South Bay after the court process has moved beyond the initial booking stage, after classification, or after a housing assignment within SCSD. Some detainee labels appear in visiting schedules, but lookup copy should not convert those schedule labels into a promise that all such people are housed there on any given day.

For court and charge status, use Suffolk County court records after a jail arrest. For current custody and housing, use HOC Records. If a sentence is longer than a county sentence or the person has moved into state prison custody, the Massachusetts Department of Correction and VINE route becomes more relevant than the South Bay Records desk.

Programs, Medical Care, and Reentry at South Bay

The House of Correction page is the strongest official source for Suffolk County program detail. SCSD says sentenced inmates can participate in substance-use programming, anger management, vocational training, English for Speakers of Other Languages, educational courses from basic literacy through college preparation, job skills, parenting skills, reintegration programming, and discharge planning. The top three floors of the Main Tower hold the female population and program areas dedicated to that population.

SCSD also states that comprehensive medical and mental-health services are provided and that more than 20,000 medical appointments are held each year at the HOC. These program and care details belong on the House of Correction page because they distinguish South Bay from the pretrial jail role at Nashua Street and from the non-housing community corrections role at 33 Bradston Street.

About Suffolk County House of Correction

The House of Correction replaced the older Deer Island correctional facility. Its direct-supervision design and decentralized eight-building layout are a central part of the official facility description. SCSD says the facility's programs are intended to prepare offenders for reentry and hold them accountable and responsible while serving local sentences.

SCSD states that both the House of Correction and Nashua Street are ADA compliant and audited multiple times per year by DOC, NCCHC, ICE, and DPH. The elected sheriff listed by SCSD is Steven W. Tompkins; as of the August 27, 2025 state statement, Special Sheriff Mark Lawhorne was filling the role while Tompkins's federal case is pending. That statement concerns operational leadership while the case is pending and does not state a conviction.