Bridgewater State Hospital – A General Overview

As the designated Protection and Advocacy (P&A) agency for Massachusetts, DLC is authorized under federal law to monitor facilities where people with disabilities live and receive services and investigate incidents of abuse, neglect, and death throughout the Commonwealth. DLC initiated an investigation into the conditions and practices at Bridgewater State Hospital (BSH) in 2014. The initial investigation was based on concerns that individuals with mental health issues were subjected to abuse and neglect at the facility, including excessive restrain and seclusion. BSH is operated by the Department of Correction, rather than the Department of Mental Health, and is a troubling outlier as the country’s only psychiatric hospital run by a state correctional agency. View the Reports

Although incremental successes have been made over the years, long-standing counter-therapeutic conditions and systemic illegal restraint, seclusion, and involuntary medication practices continue to harm the people at BSH. DLC recommends:

Immediately transfer oversight of BSH from the Department of Correction to the Department of Mental Health; and
Construct a modern psychiatric hospital to serve the BSH population.

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Bridgewater State Hospital Public Report August 2026	Loading... Taking too long? Reload document \| Open in new tab Download [904.33 KB]
Bridgewater State Hospital: Prison By Another Name	Loading... Taking too long? Reload document \| Open in new tab Download [865.37 KB]
DLC Featured on Committable Podcast

Bridgewater State Hospital – Webinar Series

In April and May of 2025, DLC hosted a webinar series about our work at Bridgewater State Hospital (BSH). The webinar series focused on the findings and recommendations detailed in our semi-annual report issued in February 2025. Each webinar included a question and answer segment. View the Webinar Series.