The civic record
Read. Follow. Verify.Massachusetts Transfers Bridgewater State Hospital from Corrections to Mental Health Department by 2026
Last action · February 9, 2026: Committee recommended ought to pass and referred to the committee on Senate Ways and MeansSponsors: Cynthia Creem and 5 others
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What This Bill Would Do
Massachusetts transfers the operation and oversight of Bridgewater State Hospital from the Department of Correction to the Department of Mental Health, requiring the mental health commissioner to provide all medical and mental health treatment and by December 31, 2026.
Shifts administrative responsibility and clinical care oversight for detained men from a penal agency to a health agency, establishing a new forensic mental health division with strict deadlines for restraint reviews and patient transfers.
Who It Would Affect
Groups the bill's text would affect if enacted, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.
Department of Mental Health
Assumes administrative and operational responsibility for Bridgewater State Hospital and the new forensic services division.
Department of Correction
Relinquishes operational and medical oversight responsibilities for Bridgewater State Hospital.
male patients at Bridgewater State Hospital
Receive medical and mental health treatment administered under the rules and regulations of the Department of Mental Health.
Key Facts
You don't have to trust us. Each fact below is taken straight from the official document - click any one to see the exact passage, highlighted in the original.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which agency will oversee Bridgewater State Hospital under this bill?
By what date must the provisions of this act become effective?
What else do you want to know?
News Coverage
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Votes, people, money & the original sourceWhere This Stands
Currently in committee. The next step in the legislative lifecycle is Floor Vote.
Procedural history
5 actions- Feb 9, 2026SenateCommitteeCommittee recommended ought to pass and referred to the committee on Senate Ways and Means
- Jan 8, 2026SenateCommitteeBill reported favorably by committee and referred to the committee on Health Care Financing
- Oct 3, 2025JointHearing scheduled for 10/14/2025 from 01:00 PM-05:00 PM in A-2
- Feb 27, 2025HouseHouse concurred
- Feb 27, 2025SenateCommitteeReferred to the committee on Mental Health, Substance Use and Recovery
Version history
Only one version on file - nothing to compare yet. As later stages (committee substitute, engrossed, enrolled) are captured, the redline appears here.
View official text →Lobbying Activity
No state lobbying filings in our records match this bill. Federal lobbying reports (LDA) cover Congress, so they are not listed on state bills.
Full breakdown
Who this bill affects and the strongest case for and against it, written only from the bill’s own text.
Sponsors
Show 1 more sponsor
Discoveries
Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.
Institutional Shift from Corrections to Health
The legislation represents a structural pivot by moving a secure forensic facility from a penal correction framework to a specialized mental health administrative framework.
Connected Entities
Sources
malegislature.gov
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance85How much this matters to a regular citizen
- Controversy60Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment10Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz45Current news / social attention level
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