State Rep. Carl M. Sciortino Jr., D, Somerville has prepared legislation that would freeze new prison and jail construction across the Commonwealth for five years.

The bill proposes a study of the state’s current and future inmate capacity and would produce a report recomending a comprehensive approach to the problem.

If the bill becomes law, it would have a direct impact on Mayor Joseph A. Curtatone’s plan to have a new Middlesex County jail in Somerville.

Developing…