Mass. Gen. Laws » Part I Title II Chapter 27
Massachusetts General Laws

Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 27, § 1 (2026)

Department of correction; commissioner; salary; qualifications

✓ text as last checked Sept. 2026 (this copy records no edition or section history)
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Section 1. There shall be a department of correction, under the supervision and control of a commissioner of correction. The commissioner shall be the executive and administrative head of the department and all officers and employees of the department and all of the correctional institutions of the commonwealth shall be under his supervision and control. The position of commissioner shall be classified in accordance with section forty-five of chapter thirty and the salary shall be determined in accordance with section forty-six C of said chapter thirty and he shall devote his full time during business hours to the duties of his office. The secretary of public safety shall appoint, with the approval of the governor, the commissioner who shall serve at the pleasure of the secretary and may be removed by the secretary at any time, subject to the approval of the governor. Any person appointed to said office shall, at the time of his appointment, have had at least five years of adult correctional administrative experience and have an established record of high character and qualities of leadership.

Notes of Decisions
Cited in 3 cases (2 in the last 5 years), 2014–2023 · leading case: Cox v. Massachusetts Dep't of Corr., 18 F. Supp. 3d 38 (D. Mass. 2014).
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Cox v. Massachusetts Dep't of Corr., 18 F. Supp. 3d 38 (D. Mass. 2014). “The Massachusetts Department of Correction is a state agency, Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 27, § 1 , and therefore is not a “person” subject to suit under § 1983.”
George MacKie v. Robert Joss., No. 22-P-0450 (Mass. App. Ct. July 31, 2023). “489, § 1; G. L. c. 27, § 1. 4 The department of correction also pays the QEs' compensation.”
Gabaldon v. City of Norfolk Massachusetts, No. 1:21-cv-10465 (D. Mass. Mar. 22, 2021). “2 The Massachusetts Department of Correction is a state agency, Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 27, § 1 . States consent or abrogation of State sovereignty by Congress acting under its Fourteenth Amendment powers.”
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