Hampden County Sheriff Nick Cocchi testified before a state legislative committee on Thursday in favor of prison-based addiction treatment centers.
The state legislature is considering bills that would end the practice of civilly committing men to state prisons for treatment; Massachusetts is the only state to do this.
Cocchi said his facility allows treatment for an average of 48 days, compared to the state average which is about half that, to allow men to detox.
No vote has been scheduled for the bill yet.
(Picture Provided by Hampden County Sheriff's Department)