would you buy a house in Walpole,MA given that there is a big correction facility in Walpole? (Boston: crime rate, schools)

[Jimrob1]

I grew up in a neighboring town to Walpole. I had several relatives that worked basically across the street from the Prison when Pondville Hospital was there. They worked there for years. I have another relative that works in Walpole. The business he works for has from time to time, prisoners that are on work release programs. So my family has had exposure to Walpole for years, and the prison has not been a problem at all. I have driven by it a zillion times, and have never thought twice about it.

You would be fine in Walpole. I doubt many in the area even think about the prison being in Walpole. Unless perhaps they work there.

[Austin023]

I grew up a good amount of my earlier years in Walpole and lived there from the late 80s until 2005. I can assure you it is a perfectly nice, safe and respectable town to live in. The prison and jail (called Cedar Junction, but Walpole Prison locally) are at the extreme southern end of town, on the Norfolk boarder. Problems which effect the community near it are quite rare---I do not think any inmate has managed to escape from the complex in well over 20 or 30 years.

Walpole is relatively affluent, the schools are pretty good and the town has a lot of history. I'd say it is perhaps more conservative for the Boston area, but by southern New England standards, that is. The people over all are well educated...it's a typical town for southern NE and the Boston area. The T commuter rail goes right thru Walpole, into Boston via Dedham; the bus does also from the center of town...you have I-95, Rte 1 right there and 495 and 128 are pretty close by. Like its neighboring towns the house prices are fairly high for the area (though not as much as Medfield or Westwood, but it is close). I miss it there.

[AtkinsonDan]

I would be more concerned about being near a House or Corrections over a prison. The House of Corrections facilities are a greater security risk because there is far more transport of prisoners to and from the courthouses at these locations. That is where and when an escape is most likely to occur. I would not have any misgivings about living or working in Walpole or Norfolk. It is the jails that give me much more pause.

[massnative71]

Originally Posted by AtkinsonDan

I would be more concerned about being near a House or Corrections over a prison. The House of Corrections facilities are a greater security risk because there is far more transport of prisoners to and from the courthouses at these locations. That is where and when an escape is most likely to occur. I would not have any misgivings about living or working in Walpole or Norfolk. It is the jails that give me much more pause.

I could still give a rat's a*#. There are 1000 more important issues to worry about.

[AtkinsonDan]

Originally Posted by massnative71

I could still give a rat's a*#. There are 1000 more important issues to worry about.

Most certainly so. I would never worry about correctional facilities either. However using risk analysis it can be surmised that the jails are more of security risk than the prisons although the risk from either is very small.

[mdovell]

This is a bit of a dirty political move but some towns and cities actually WANT prisons.

Here's why:

Prison population can be added to the general population for the purposes of a census.
In the vast majority of the country prisoners cannot vote.
Therefore you boost population and thus have higher access to more Federal dollars without worry about political ramifications.

Personally the risk of someone escaping is pretty small. Heck both Whitey Bulger and Richard Reed the shoe bomber were both held in Plymouth but few notice.

Anyone with the belief that location alone keeps someone safer is being misled. In my town a few years ago a hitman was hired in CT and took a few shots when he drove up here. GPS's are not hard to use at all and are dirt cheap.

Crime has shifted a bit more to suburbs due to the following reasons
1) Less people -
2) less witnesses -
3) less cameras
4) someone can leave faster in a car then say public transit
5) More assets to take - a 2000sq ft+ house or a 1000sqft apartment?

etc. I might be in a town that might only have an arrest every few weeks but I always lock the doors and car doors etc.

[massnative71]

Originally Posted by mdovell

This is a bit of a dirty political move but some towns and cities actually WANT prisons.

How is that a "dirty" political move? Sounds more like a "smart" move to me (supported by the reasons you provided).

The dumb ones are the NIMBYs who get nothing in return but higher taxes for worse services.

[BitofEndearment]

I would DEFINITELY be worried. Walpole is notorious. People escape ALL THE TIME. And when they do? They stick around Walpole! In people's backyards!

[chzbrgr38]

I think as long as you don't live IN the prison, it is ok!

We have some friends currently looking and Walpole and are finding some great properties.

[Austin023]

Walpole changed a lot over the 18 or so years I lived there---even with the prison it has managed to stay a respectable, fairly affluent and safe town and grow considerably in that time. If anything it is more affluent now than it was in the 1980s, though even then it was nice but less people and the McMansions had not yet invaded
We lived in a larger old house near the Westwood-Norwood line, didn't even bother to lock the doors at night usually....never had a problem at all.