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Cambridge jail closed Saturday, prisoners transported

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. (MyFoxBoston.com) – After 32 years, the Middlesex Jail at the Edward J. Sullivan Courthouse in Cambridge closed Saturday.

Due to the closing, 220 pre-trial detainees were moved to the Middlesex House of Correction and Jail in Billerica over two days.

“While thousands walked the halls during its heyday, I knew from the moment I stepped back into the building as Sheriff, it was no longer a suitable facility in which to house a jail. From that moment on, the Middlesex Sheriff’s Office worked closely with Patrick Administration officials and the Attorney General’s Office to propose a safe, secure space to accommodate our jail population,” Sheriff Peter J. Koutoujian said.

He went on to say, "During its prime, the building was home to the Middlesex Superior Court, the Middlesex District Court, the Middlesex District Attorney’s Office and the Middlesex Sheriff’s Office – entities now scattered across the county. Reestablishing a jail in the southern area of Middlesex County where 12 of our 14 courts reside will remain a top priority in an effort to recreate that criminal justice efficiency in a new justice complex."

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