MCI-Framingham was proposed in 1872 as a reform to incarcerate women and men in different prisons in Massachusetts. The prison opened in 1877 and was the second prison for women opened in the U.S. Several references note it as the oldest female correctional institution (of those still in operation) in the United States. Its original name was the Sherborn Reformatory for Women, because at the time of its establishment it was located in that town. In 1924, the town of Framingham acquired 565 acres in
Sherborn, including the prison and its grounds.
Prison Reform MCI-Framingham has been the site of many reform efforts throughout its history. The reformatory aimed to engage incarcerated people in work and other productive activities as a form of rehabilitation. The women worked a large farm and in later years work transitioned other trades and manufacturing including flag-making. Visitors came to learn from the practices of the reformatory and its leaders. The prison also employed female guards and physicians, and included both men and women among its board of visitors. In 1973 the Department of Correction moved some incarcerated men from other prisons to MCI-Framingham in a pilot program for incarcerating men and women together in the same prison. The goal of this pilot was to try to reduce incidence of same-sex relationships among incarcerated people and to create an environment more similar to life outside of prison. Several of its superintendents were well-known prison reformers including
Ellen Cheney Johnson (1884–1899),
Jessie Donaldson Hodder (1911–1932), and
Miriam Van Waters (1932–1957). The prison's best-known superintendent, however, was
Clara Barton, who served for eight months during a leave from her work with the
Red Cross.
Notable people Among the women who served time at Framingham were the 19th century bandits from the
Oklahoma Territory known as
Little Britches and
Cattle Annie, depicted in the 1981 film,
Cattle Annie and Little Britches.
Bettine Masserelli was the first woman in Massachusetts to be convicted of armed robbery. The
Framingham Eight met while incarcerated at Framingham in the 1990s. British au pair
Louise Woodward was held at Framingham for 279 days in 1997 during her much publicized trial at the end of which she was sentenced to time served and was released. == Covid cases ==