Massachusetts General Laws Part I. Administration of the Government (Ch. 1-182) Ch. 6, § 168A

The commissioner of probation, the commissioner of corrections, the chairman of the parole board and the county commissioners of counties other than Suffolk county shall transmit to the department in such form and at such times as the board shall require, detailed and complete records relative to all probation and parole cases, and permits to be at liberty granted or issued by them, respectively, the revoking of the same and the length of time served on each sentence of imprisonment by each prisoner so released specifying the institution where each such sentence was served;  and under the direction of the board a record shall be kept of all such cases as the board may require.  Police officials shall cooperate with the board in obtaining and reporting information concerning persons under the care and custody of the probation department and parole board.  The commissioner of probation, commissioner of corrections, chairman of the parole board and commissioner of youth services shall at all times give to the board such information as may be obtained from the records concerning persons under sentence or who have been released.

The information obtained and recorded shall not be regarded as public records and shall not be open for public inspection but shall be accessible to the justices, the departments of probation, corrections, and youth services, the parole board, the Massachusetts sentencing commission, and to such local and state governments as the board may determine.  Upon payment of a fee of three dollars for each search, such records shall be accessible to such departments of the federal government and to such educational and charitable corporations and institutions as the board may determine.