Locate MCI-Shirley Inmates

MCI-Shirley Inmate Overview

The official Mass.gov MCI-Shirley page describes MCI-Shirley as a medium-security facility housing criminally sentenced males. It is operated by the Massachusetts Department of Correction, often shortened to MADOC. That status changes the lookup method. A person in MCI-Shirley is not searched through the Middlesex Sheriff's Office jail phone line or any county jail roster. The state prison search route uses MADOC's inmate-finding instructions and VINELink.

The Mass.gov location page lists Matthew Divris as Superintendent. It also publishes the street address, mailing address, main phone number, visiting contacts, and state-prison visiting rules. MCI-Shirley is one of the state facilities physically located in Middlesex County, but the county does not operate it. A reader may know only that the person was arrested in a Middlesex County city or town. If the case led to a state sentence, custody may have shifted from Billerica or another pretrial location into MADOC, and the search should shift with it.

The research did not locate a current capacity figure on the MCI-Shirley Mass.gov location page. That is why the facility page should avoid a guessed bed count. If capacity, census, or unit count is needed, use a current MADOC report or ask the prison for the correct public source. The strongest confirmed facts for this page are the facility type, operator, population held, superintendent, address, phone number, VINELink lookup path, and the published visit scheduling rules.

The screenshot below comes from the Mass.gov MCI-Shirley facility profile.

The facility profile is the correct source for the prison's contact details, superintendent listing, unit scheduling contacts, and current visiting instructions.

MCI-Shirley Inmate Search

MADOC says people can find an inmate in a Massachusetts prison through VINELink online or by phone at 866-277-7477. The MADOC inmate-finding page says a search needs the full first and last name or a commitment number. VINELink is the public search and notification path, but MADOC notes that the website itself is not run by the Department of Correction. Questions about the portal go to VINELink support.

A failed MCI-Shirley search does not always prove that the person is free. The name may be spelled differently, the commitment number may be missing, the person may still be in county jail before sentencing, or the person may be in federal custody instead of state custody. Start with the most likely custody level. For a recent Middlesex County arrest, the county jail and court records may be the first source. For a state sentence, MADOC is the right system.

1. Start with the MADOC inmate-finding page and open the Massachusetts VINELink search.
2. Search by the full first and last name, or use a commitment number if it is known.
3. Confirm that the result is a Massachusetts Department of Correction record, not a county jail or federal record.
4. Check the listed facility and custody status, then call MCI-Shirley if the visit or mailing issue needs current confirmation.

MCI-Shirley Address and Contact

The facility uses both a street address and a mailing address. The Mass.gov page lists the prison at 104 Harvard Road in Shirley and gives the mailing address as Harvard Road, P.O. Box 1218, Shirley, MA 01464. The main phone number is the same number used for unit scheduling extensions. Because prison rules can change by unit, visitors should call the right scheduling extension when the person is not in general population.

MCI-Shirley Visiting Rules

Visits at MCI-Shirley must be scheduled at least 24 hours in advance. The Mass.gov page lists general population weekday visits Wednesday through Friday from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Weekend visits are split by last name groups, and special schedules exist for BAU, Health Services Unit, and SAU. Vehicles on state property are subject to search, must be locked while unattended, and accessible parking is available for vehicles with placards.

Scheduling contacts are important because a state prison visit is tied to both approval and housing status. General population visitors use extension 4202, while BAU, HSU, and SAU have their own extensions. If a prisoner recently moved units, the last known schedule may be wrong. Call the proper extension before travel and give enough time for the 24-hour scheduling rule. State property rules also mean visitors should leave unnecessary items at home, lock the vehicle, and expect security screening.

MCI-Shirley Mail and Money

State prison mail and money do not use the Middlesex Jail canteen system. MADOC publishes separate instructions for state prisoners, including how to deposit money to an inmate's personal account and how to set up phone service. Before sending funds or mail, confirm the inmate's commitment number, full committed name, and current housing status through the prison or state records. A county jail control number is not the same as a MADOC commitment number.

MCI-Shirley Custody Differences

MCI-Shirley is for criminally sentenced males in the state prison system. Middlesex Jail & House of Correction, by contrast, handles men awaiting trial, men serving local sentences up to 2.5 years, and women classified to pre-release. The distinction is practical. A person may be arrested in Middlesex County, held first in local custody, then later committed to MADOC after sentencing. Once that transfer happens, the search path changes from the sheriff's phone and records process to the state prison locator.

MCI-Shirley Records Verification

A VINELink result is a custody locator, not a full criminal docket. For court charges after a Middlesex County arrest, use MassCourts or the clerk's office. For federal custody, use the Bureau of Prisons. For county jail booking or bail details before a state transfer, use Middlesex Sheriff's Office records. These systems can overlap in time, but each office controls its own records.

Useful terms also differ across systems. A commitment number is a MADOC identifier for prison lookup. A booking or control number is tied to jail intake or sheriff records. Classification is the prison process that assigns custody level, housing, and program placement after sentencing. A detainer is a hold from another agency and can affect release or transfer even when the main sentence record looks straightforward. Defining the term before calling helps staff route the question to the right office.