Suffolk County, Massachusetts: Administration, Jail, Clerk of Court, Sheriff’s Office

Jury selection in a sitting county sheriff’s federal corruption trial began this week in Boston — a case serious enough that Massachusetts’s governor and attorney general asked the sheriff to step away from running the county’s jails while it plays out. Steven Tompkins, elected Sheriff of Suffolk County three times since 2013, has been on leave since August 2025 while facing two federal extortion charges, with a Special Sheriff running day-to-day operations in his place. Suffolk County, which covers Boston and several neighboring communities and is home to roughly 800,000 residents, is navigating a genuinely unusual leadership situation right now. Here’s how the county’s government, jail, courts, and sheriff’s office actually work.

Suffolk County Quick Facts

A County Without a Traditional Executive

Suffolk County, Massachusetts doesn’t operate the way most counties in this series do — Massachusetts abolished most county-level government functions decades ago, folding administrative responsibilities into the state and its constituent cities. There’s no Suffolk County executive, judge, or commission running day-to-day operations the way you’d find in Texas or California; Boston, Chelsea, Revere, and Winthrop each run their own municipal governments independently. What remains at the county level are primarily judicial and public safety functions — the courts and the Sheriff’s Department chief among them.

That structure makes the Sheriff’s Department unusually central to what “Suffolk County government” actually means in practice for most residents.

The Sheriff’s Department Under Extraordinary Circumstances

Steven Tompkins was first appointed Sheriff by Governor Deval Patrick in January 2013, elected to the position later that year, and reelected in 2016 and 2022 — a well-known figure in Massachusetts Democratic politics who also served on the Boston Finance Commission. In August 2025, federal authorities indicted him on two counts of extortion under color of official right, alleging he pressured a cannabis company executive to sell him discounted stock before the company’s public offering, then demanded his money back after the stock price fell.

At the request of Governor Maura Healey and Attorney General Andrea Campbell, Tompkins agreed to step away from the role while his case proceeds, citing a medical condition and applying for paid medical leave. Special Sheriff Mark Lawhorne has run the department in his place, consistent with Massachusetts law governing sheriff succession. As of this week, jury selection in Tompkins’s federal trial is underway in Boston — a case being closely watched in local political circles given his long tenure and prominence.

The Sheriff’s Department’s normal responsibilities, regardless of who currently holds the top position, include:

• Managing all operations at the Suffolk County Jail (Nashua Street) and South Bay House of Correction
• Providing care, custody, and rehabilitative support for pretrial detainees and sentenced inmates
• Running the Civil Process Division, serving warrants, evictions, and related legal documents
• Overseeing a staff of nearly 1,000 correctional and administrative employees

The Jail System: Two Facilities, a History of Scrutiny

Suffolk County operates two main detention facilities. The Nashua Street Jail in Boston’s West End handles general detention functions, while the South Bay House of Correction, opened in 1991 replacing a much older facility, houses sentenced individuals and additional pretrial populations, including women held for Plymouth, Essex, and Norfolk counties under space-sharing arrangements after Suffolk ended its ICE detention contract in 2018.

The department has faced real scrutiny over conditions in past years — four deaths in quick succession between July and September 2021 at South Bay and Nashua Street sparked protests and demands for transparency, including a lawsuit from the family of one of those who died.

For anyone dealing with the jail system:

• The Sheriff’s Department maintains inmate location resources through its official website
• Given the current leadership transition, confirm current visitation and administrative procedures directly, since some processes may differ under interim leadership
• Booking information generally takes a few hours to post after an arrest
• Bond and related payments can typically be handled through the department’s standard channels
• Visitation requires advance scheduling and valid photo ID

Courts Within Suffolk County

Massachusetts’s court system operates at the state level, with Suffolk County home to Superior, Municipal, and District Court divisions serving Boston and the county’s other communities. Because there’s no county-level clerk’s office structured like in Texas or Florida, court records and filings route through Massachusetts’s statewide judicial system, organized by the specific court division handling a case.

A few practical points:

• Case records can generally be checked online through the Massachusetts court system’s case lookup tools
• Confirm which specific court — Superior, Municipal, or District — has jurisdiction over your matter, since Massachusetts splits cases by both type and geography within the county
• Self-help resources are available through the state court system for people representing themselves

Before You Visit

• Bring valid, government-issued photo ID to any court, jail facility, or Sheriff’s Department office
• Given the sheriff’s current leave and ongoing federal trial, confirm current department leadership and procedures before assuming information from before August 2025 still applies
• Downtown Boston parking near the Nashua Street facility and nearby courts can be limited — public transit (MBTA) is generally more practical
• Call the Sheriff’s Department directly for jail-specific questions rather than relying on outdated online information during this transition period

Frequently Asked Questions

Q1. Who is currently running the Suffolk County Sheriff’s Department?

Special Sheriff Mark Lawhorne has been serving in the role since August 2025, after elected Sheriff Steven Tompkins agreed to step away from his position at the request of the governor and attorney general while facing federal extortion charges. Confirm current leadership status directly with the department, since this situation is tied to an ongoing federal trial.

Q2. How do I find out if someone is in a Suffolk County jail facility?

Use the Sheriff’s Department’s inmate location resources, available through its official website, and specify whether you’re checking the Nashua Street Jail or South Bay House of Correction, since the county operates both facilities separately.

Q3. Why doesn’t Suffolk County have a county executive or commissioners like other counties?

Massachusetts eliminated most county-level government decades ago, shifting administrative authority to individual cities and the state government. Boston, Chelsea, Revere, and Winthrop each govern independently, leaving the Sheriff’s Department as one of the few genuinely county-wide institutions still operating in Suffolk County.

Q4. What happened with the extortion case against Sheriff Tompkins?

Tompkins was indicted in August 2025 on two federal counts of extortion under color of official right, related to allegations involving a cannabis company. He pleaded not guilty and has maintained his innocence, and jury selection in his federal trial began in late August 2026. Check current news sources for the latest status, since the case is actively proceeding.