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Ask the Right Office: Massachusetts

Pick a problem to see the office, the official rule, the deadlines and who must file. Then fill in a plain-English letter in your browser, print or save it as a PDF, and add a follow-up date to your calendar.

What this page can and can't tell you

Can: Which office to write to and how to put together a clear letter.

Can't: It can't give an official release date, say whether a specific person qualifies, or give legal advice. Only the DOC, the board or a court decides.

A letter doesn't replace the required official grievance form or procedure, and those have deadlines. If you're worried about retaliation, keep copies and dates of everything you send, and tell the person's attorney or a legal aid office if anything changes afterward.

Free legal help: Legal Services Corporation: find legal aid (civil matters). For criminal cases, ask the public defender's office that handled the case.






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Massachusetts at a glance

ProblemOfficeDeadline to fileResponse deadline
Time calculation reviewInstitutional Grievance Coordinator (after a Step 1 Informal Complaint Form)Informal complaint within 5 working days of the incident (or of learning of it); formal grievance within 10 working days of the informal decision.Staff answer the informal complaint within 10 working days; the Institutional Grievance Coordinator then has 10 business days (one 10-business-day extension).
Credit (good time) disputeInstitutional Grievance Coordinator (after a Step 1 Informal Complaint Form)Informal complaint within 5 working days of the incident (or of learning of it); formal grievance within 10 working days of the informal decision.Staff answer the informal complaint within 10 working days; the Institutional Grievance Coordinator then has 10 business days (one 10-business-day extension).
Medical request or complaintInstitutional Grievance Coordinator (after a Step 1 Informal Complaint Form)Informal complaint within 5 working days of the incident (or of learning of it); formal grievance within 10 working days of the informal decision.Staff answer the informal complaint within 10 working days; the Institutional Grievance Coordinator then has 10 business days (one 10-business-day extension).
Visit or mail denial appealInstitutional Grievance Coordinator (after a Step 1 Informal Complaint Form)Informal complaint within 5 working days of the incident (or of learning of it); formal grievance within 10 working days of the informal decision.Staff answer the informal complaint within 10 working days; the Institutional Grievance Coordinator then has 10 business days (one 10-business-day extension).
Records requestThe records custodian at the agency that keeps the recordNo filing deadline in the statute.Within 10 business days of receiving the request (or a written response within 10 business days explaining any delay).
Parole fileNot publishedNot publishedNot published
Disability (ADA) accommodationNot publishedNot publishedNot published
Transfer or classificationNot publishedNot publishedNot published

Grievance rule: 103 CMR 491.00, Inmate Grievances; 491 SOP Informal Complaint Process (effective 10/14/2025) (opens in new tab). Records: M.G.L. c. 66, § 10 (Public Records Law) (opens in new tab). Who files a grievance: The inmate.

Not legal advice. Rules change and facilities may add local steps; the official text controls. Missing a deadline can end a claim. Find free legal aid (LSC) (opens in new tab). Last checked .

Other states · Massachusetts credit rules · Check a release calculation · Release countdown · What do I do now?

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