All statewide judicial offices are filled by the governor, with the advice and consent of the executive council.
The supreme judicial court, composed of a chief justice and six other justices, is the highest court in the state. It has appellate jurisdiction in matters of law and also advises the governor and legislature on legal questions. The superior courts, actually the highest level of trial court, have a chief justice and 79 other justices; these courts hear law, equity, civil, and criminal cases, and make the final determination in matters of fact. The appeals court, consisting of a chief justice and 13 other justices, hears appeals of decisions by district and municipal courts. There are also district and municipal courts and trial court judges. Other court systems in the state include the land court, probate and family court, housing court (with divisions in Boston and Hampden counties), and juvenile court (with divisions in Boston, Springfield, Worcester, and Bristol counties).
Massachusetts's total crime rate per 100,000 inhabitants was 3,098.6in 2001, including a total of 30,587 violent crimes and 167,079 crimes against property in that year. Massachusetts does not have a death penalty. Under Massachusetts gun control laws, all guns must be registered, and there is a mandatory one-year jail sentence for possession without a permit.
As of June 2001, there were 10,734 prisoners in state and federal correctional institutions, a decrease of 3.7% from the previous year. The state's incarceration rate stood at 247 per 100,000 inhabitants.