Secure forensic mental-health facility (men) · Forensic Mental Health Facility (DOC-operated) · Massachusetts DOC

Bridgewater State Hospital

Bridgewater, Plymouth County, Massachusetts

Visiting schedules change without notice. Always call before traveling.

Call Visiting Office: (508) 279-4500 Info last verified: June 2026

A secure forensic mental-health facility for men in Bridgewater, operated by the Department of Correction — it holds men committed for psychiatric evaluation or treatment, and its visiting process differs from a standard prison.

Statewide rules that apply at every Massachusetts state prison

These rules are set by Massachusetts DOC and apply at every unit. The full list — including all permitted and prohibited items and the approval process — is in Visiting in Massachusetts.

Dress code

Dress modestly and avoid clothing that resembles what incarcerated people or staff wear; no revealing, sheer, or provocative clothing.
Each prison publishes its own visiting dress code and item limits — confirm them with the facility before traveling, since a visitor who is dressed out of code can be turned away.

ID: Every visitor must be on the incarcerated person's approved visitor list and submit a visitor application to the prison; the Department runs a criminal-history check before approval. Adults must show a valid government-issued photo ID at each visit. The incarcerated person can add new visitors only during set windows (the first 15 days of March, July, and November).
What to bring: Bring only a photo ID and what the specific facility allows in the visiting room — phones and bags are not permitted. Money for the person is sent through Access Corrections, never handed over at a visit; confirm each facility's item and locker rules before visiting.
Scheduling: Massachusetts has no statewide online visit scheduler — each prison schedules visits by phone and sets its own days and hours, so call the facility to arrange a visit and confirm the schedule. A newly committed person is held at a reception center first — Souza-Baranowski for men, MCI-Framingham for women — before transfer to a permanent prison.

Full statewide rules: Visiting in Massachusetts

Overview

Bridgewater State Hospital, on Administration Road in Bridgewater, is a secure forensic mental-health facility for men, operated by the Department of Correction, with clinical care provided by a contracted health provider. It holds men committed for psychiatric evaluation or treatment — including people civilly committed and people sent for court-ordered competency or criminal-responsibility evaluations. Because it is a hospital rather than a general-population prison, its day-to-day operations and visiting process differ from other DOC facilities. It is one of several DOC facilities clustered at the Bridgewater complex.

What Makes Bridgewater State Hospital Different

It is a secure forensic mental-health facility, not a general-population prison; it holds men for psychiatric evaluation or treatment.
Its visiting process differs from a standard prison — confirm the hospital’s specific procedure before traveling.
It is one of several DOC facilities at the Bridgewater complex (with the Old Colony Correctional Center and the Massachusetts Treatment Center) — confirm which one holds the person.
Clinical care is provided by a contracted health provider working with the Department of Correction.

Visiting

The statewide MA DOC rules above — the approved visitor list, the dress code, ID, and item limits — apply, but Bridgewater State Hospital’s visiting process differs from a standard prison. The facility’s own arrangements:

The full approval process is in Visiting in Massachusetts.

Getting There and Parking

The facility is on Administration Road in Bridgewater, in southeastern Massachusetts.

Distances are approximate, based on map routing. Visitor parking is on site.

Nearby Services

Bridgewater and nearby Brockton have gas, food, and lodging. The nearest 24-hour emergency room is Signature Healthcare Brockton Hospital in Brockton.

Mail

Incoming personal mail goes to the facility — Massachusetts does not use an off-site mail vendor. Address it with the person’s full name and commitment number and the facility’s mailing address (above); all incoming mail is opened and inspected. Legal mail is opened only in the person’s presence. Full rules are in Mail & Packages.

Learn More

For detailed information about visiting and communicating with someone in a Massachusetts state prison:

Visiting in Massachusetts — the approved visitor list, dress code, and scheduling by phone
Mail & Packages — mail to the facility and what gets inspected
Phone & Video Calls — free Securus calls, video visits, and messaging
Sending Money — depositing through Access Corrections
Medical & Mental Health — sick call, grievances, and the Ombudsman
Transfers & Finding Someone — reception, classification, and VINELink

Sources

This page is compiled from the following publicly available sources. Policies change without notice — confirm current details with the facility before relying on them.