Steven W. Tompkins, a member of the Suffolk County Sheriff’s Department since 2002, was appointed to serve as the Sheriff of Suffolk County on January 22nd, 2013 by Governor of Massachusetts, Deval Patrick, and was elected in November of 2014.As the Sheriff of Suffolk County, Tompkins manages all operations at the Suffolk County House of Correction, the Nashua Street Jail and the Civil Process Division. In addition to providing care, custody and rehabilitative support for inmates and pre–trial detainees, Tompkins also oversees a management, security and administrative staff of over 1,000.
Some quick facts: In our facilities, the average reading and mathematics comprehension for inmates and detainees hovers between the 5th and 6th grade levels; In Massachusetts, it costs more than $70,000 to incarcerate an individual per-year; It costs just over $17,000 to educate a child annually. Clearly, our priorities should be reevaluated when we as a society are spending more to lock people up than to provide the tools necessary for a good education and a positive, successful future.
As shown by numerous studies, the correlation between low education and high incarceration is as clear as the ties that bind success and achievement to a strong educational foundation. It is both my personal and professional objective to use all available resources to strengthen our educational programs not only for those who are receptive in our population, but also for our outreach to the young people within our neighborhoods to prevent them from ever entering our facilities and instead help propel them to success.