Mandate

The Suffolk County Sheriff’s Department is mandated to ensure and enhance public safety for the citizens of Boston, Chelsea, Revere and Winthrop. Suffolk County Sheriff Steven W. Tompkins oversees the Suffolk County Jail, the House of Correction, and the Suffolk County Community Corrections Center.

The efforts of the operations and custody staff at all Sheriff’s Department facilities remain committed to the needs and changes of offender populations, rehabilitation and reentry services.

Agenda

The Sheriff’s Department is mandated to enforce the laws of the Commonwealth and to serve and protect the citizens of Suffolk County. We accomplish this mission by:

  • Maintaining safe and secure custody and control of inmates and pre-trial detainees; and
  • Enhancing public safety by seeking ways to effectively reduce offender recidivism.
  • To meet the challenges presented by this obligation, we must set goals that inform and improve our relationship with both the public and each other.

External Goal: To enforce the laws of the Commonwealth and to serve and protect the citizens of Suffolk County. By:

  • Meeting and exceeding state and national corrections standards for all Department operations; and
  • Becoming an accessible public resource by identifying shared goals between the Sheriff’s Department and Suffolk County’s communities and working to achieve them.

Internal Goal: To build a strong, united, professional organization dedicated to achieving the external goal. By:

  • Providing consistent, high quality training and support for all staff;
  • Making merit-based promotions based upon objective evaluation of exemplary job performance; and
  • Increasing diversity and appreciation for its internal and external benefit to the Department.

Diversity Mission Statement

Understanding the need for diversity in the workplace and the essential role it plays in our ability to serve the public interest is a priority for the Suffolk County Sheriff’s Department. The process by which we learn to appreciate the value of internal diversity and its external impact on the communities we serve should be driven by one guiding principle: Our differences are also our strengths.