A veteran probation officer has been named to run Massachusetts' prisons.
Thomas Turco will take over from Department of Correction Commissioner Carol Higgins O'Brien, who announced her resignation Thursday.
Gov. Charlie Baker says Turco will accelerate the department's efforts to prepare inmates for re-entry into society once they finish their prison terms.
Turco began his career in criminal justice in 1989 when he was appointed as a probation officer in Westborough District Court. In 2003, he was named chief probation officer of Worcester Superior Court.
For the past year, Turco has worked as Undersecretary of Criminal Justice within the state Executive Office of Public Safety and Security.
Higgins O'Brien said in her resignation letter that she decided to resign "after personal reflection and contemplation." She did not elaborate.
