|
In June of 2005, Robert E. Cahill,
a former Sheriff of Essex County (Massachusetts) died of a heart attack. In addition
to being the Sheriff of Essex County from 1975 to 1978, Robert Cahill wrote over 30 books; including The Wayward Sheriffs of Witch County: the Misadventures of Running America's
Oldest Jail and Courthouse.
According to the description of
The Wayward Sheriffs of Witch County: the Misadventures
of Running America's Oldest Jail and Courthouse, “With no correctional or law enforcement experience, Robert
E. Cahill ran for and won the office of High Sheriff of Essex County, Massachusetts, becoming the first Democrat elected to
the post in it’s over 300 year history. What Cahill discovered as he took office in 1974 was a county correctional system
in such a state of neglect and abuse that it was in violation of almost every health and human-rights regulation on the books.
This is a first-person true story
of thieves, murders, fugitives, rioters, reckless youths, the criminally insane and the wayward sheriffs that were charged
with taking care of them. It is about the miraculous progress of these destitute inmates and bumbling sheriffs in the bastilles
of "Witch County" as they struggled from the dark ages into the Twentieth Century. In the process, the High Sheriff was also
transformed from a staunch conservative to a devious liberal, battling many foes, including the public and press, to win equal
rights for his inmates- a battle that almost killed him. This book is an eye-opener for Americans, exposing how we neglect
and mistreat our downtrodden and dysfunctional fellow citizens.”
Robert E. Cahill published over
30 non-fiction books about New England life, lore, and history. Prior to his work as an author, he served as a lieutenant
in the Army Intelligence in East Africa, dove professionally as a scuba diver, served as a Massachusetts state representative. His other titles include: Lighthouse Mysteries of the North Atlantic; New England's Pirates and Lost
Treasure; Olde New England's Seashore Cookbook; and, Ancient Mysteries.
About the Essex County Sheriff’s Department
The Essex County Sheriff’s Department (Massachusetts) have been serving the public safety needs
of the residents of the 34 cities and towns that comprise the region around Salem for over 300 years. The tradition began under the colonial-era leadership of George Corwin, William Gedney, Thomas Wainwright,
Daniel Denison and Michael Farley, and continues today under the watchful eyes of Robert E. Cahill, Thomas C. Goff and Sheriff
Frank G. Cousins, Jr.
Initially, offenders from the county were housed at two separate facilities in Salem and Lawrence. The first Salem Jail was constructed to serve citizens north of Boston and was operational
in 1638. Many historians say it was the first detention facility of its kind
built in the country. Located at the corner of Federal and St. Peter streets,
the edifice was made of wood, with additions built over the years to accommodate an expanding client base. Some scholars believe victims of Salem’s infamous Witch Trials were incarcerated at the jail.
Today, the 10-building Middleton complex sits on 20 acres that overlooks the communities of Danvers
and Middleton. It is adjacent to Essex Agricultural Institute and a parcel of
land owned by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
The facility opened with five hundred offenders. Today,
it houses about 990. The central inmate housing area is enclosed by a pair of
chain-link fences and is topped with coiled wire, motion detectors, and a specially-constructed lower segment that makes climbing
over the fences next to impossible. The administration building, warehouse, and
garage are located outside the fence.
The Essex County Sheriff’s Department houses sentenced county inmates, pre-trial county inmates
and sentenced state inmates. It also houses a handful of federal inmates. The
average sentence for a county inmate is nine months. The average sentence for a state inmate is six years.
The department processes over 8,000 new inmates per year. The
average age of an inmate is 33. Thirty percent of the inmates do not have high
school diplomas.
The Essex County Sheriff's Department provides a myriad of services to outside law enforcement agencies
and community outreach service providers. The goal of these services is to enhance the safety and security of the residents
of Essex County.
The Essex
County Sheriff’s Department performs these law enforcement related functions: Anti-Graffiti Truck; Civil Process; Information
Sharing Network; K-9 Division; TRIAD; and Youth Academy.
Source:
Mass.gov
|
