DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY & CORRECTIONAL SERVICES

FUNCTIONS


[photo, Hampton Plaza, 300 East Joppa Road, Towson, Maryland] Through its correctional institutions and parole and probation programs, the Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services has statewide responsibility to supervise and rehabilitate those adjudicated individuals who pose a threat to the public. The Department also sets standards for criminal justice training, and operates criminal justice information systems (Code Correctional Services Article, secs. 2-101 through 2-201).

From 2003 to 2007, the Department conducted its work in four main areas: Administration; Operations; Property Services; and Treatment Services. In July 2007, Operations was abolished, and Property Services reformed as Capital Programs.

Hampton Plaza, 300 East Joppa Road, Towson, Maryland, May 2004. Photo by Diane F. Evartt.


From 2007 to 2015, the three main divisions of the Department - Correction, Parole and Probation, and Pretrial Detention and Services - formerly under Operations, reported directly to the Secretary and functioned through three regional jurisdictions: Central, East, and West. In April 2015, the Department reverted to its statutory structure, and its three main divisions again report to the Deputy Secretary for Operations.

OFFICE OF SECRETARY

Hampton Plaza, 300 East Joppa Road, Suite 1000, Towson, MD 21286 - 3020

Appointed by the Governor with Senate advice and consent, the Secretary of Public Safety and Correctional Services is charged with carrying out the Governor's policies in the areas of public safety, crime prevention, correction, parole, and probation (Code Correctional Services Article, secs. 2-101 through 2-118).

The Secretary chairs the Correctional Training Commission and the Maryland State Council for Interstate Adult Offender Supervision, and co-chairs the Correctional Education Council. The Secretary also serves on the Governor's Executive Council; the Governor's Overdose Prevention Council; the Asbestos Oversight Committee; the Cease Fire Council; the Baltimore City Criminal Justice Coordinating Council; the State Commission on Criminal Sentencing Policy; the Governor's Commission for Effective Community Inclusion of Individuals with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities; the Maryland State Drug and Alcohol Abuse Council; the Governor's Family Violence Council; the Maryland Green Purchasing Committee; the Interagency Council on Homelessness; the Maryland Integrated Map Executive Committee; the Statewide Interoperability Executive Committee; the Justice Reinvestment Coordinating Council; the Interdepartmental Advisory Committee for Minority Affairs; the Council on Open Data; the Police Training Commission; the Pricing Committee for Blind Industries and Services of Maryland; the Pricing and Selection Committee for the Employment Works Program; the Sexual Offender Advisory Board; the Task Force to Study Small and Minority Design Firm Participation in State Procurement; the Maryland Commission on Suicide Prevention; the Vehicle Theft Prevention Council; the State Board of Victim Services; and the Governor's Workforce Investment Board.

Under the Office of Secretary are Communications; Investigation, Intelligence and Fugitive Apprehension; and Special Services. Administration and Operations each are headed by a Deputy Secretary. Capital Programs, and Programs and Services each are overseen by an Assistant Secretary.

INVESTIGATION, INTELLIGENCE, & FUGITIVE APPREHENSION
In April 2015, Investigation, Intelligence and Fugitive Apprehension formed to oversee the Office of Inspector General, and the Intelligence and Investigative Division.

MARYLAND PAROLE COMMISSION
6776 Reisterstown Road, Suite 307, Baltimore, MD 21215 - 2341

The Maryland Parole Commission started in 1914 as the Advisory Board of Parole (Chapter 500, Acts of 1914). In 1922, Board functions were assumed by the Parole Commissioner (Chapter 29, Acts of 1922). The Board of Parole and Probation succeeded the Parole Commissioner in 1939 (Chapter 406, Acts of 1939). In 1968, the Board of Parole and Probation reformed as the Board of Parole (Chapter 457, Acts of 1968). The Board became part of the Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services in July 1970. The Board was replaced by the Maryland Parole Commission in 1976 (Chapter 540, Acts of 1976).

Having served one-fourth of the term or consecutive terms in confinement, a prisoner is considered for parole if sentenced to a term of six months or more under jurisdiction of the Division of Correction, or any other place of confinement or detention for violators of State criminal laws. This includes local jails and detention centers.

The Commission has exclusive power to hear certain serious cases for parole release and to conduct hearings for revocation of parole. The Commission can issue warrants for the return to custody of alleged violators of parole, and can suspend or revoke parole upon a showing of its violation.

To hear certain cases for parole release, the Commission uses hearing examiners. Decisions of the examiners, if concurred with by the Commission on summary review, become final. A final decision of the examiner may be appealed to a panel of Commission members for review upon the record. The decision of the appeal panel is final.

The Commission may ask the Division of Parole and Probation, Division of Correction, or the Division of Pretrial Detention and Services to make investigations to help determine the advisability of granting parole. The Commission evaluates information from the Division of Parole and Probation on the behavior of parolees. In addition, the Commission directs the Division of Parole and Probation to conduct investigations from which recommendations are made to the Governor on pardons, commutations of sentences, and parole of persons sentenced to life imprisonment.

Tri-party contracts for the release on parole of an inmate at a predetermined future date, and upon the fulfillment of conditions specified in the contract may be negotiated and executed by the Commission. Signatories to such mutual agreements are the Maryland Parole Commission, the Commissioner of Correction, and the inmate.

The Commission's ten members are appointed to six-year terms by the Secretary of Public Safety and Correctional Services with the Governor's approval and Senate advice and consent. With the Governor's approval, the Secretary of Public Safety and Correctional Services names the chair (Code Correctional Services Article, secs. 7-201 through 7-208).

SPECIAL SERVICES
Organized in April 2015, Special Services oversees Administration and Support Services, and Community Supervision. Special Services is aided by the Criminal Injuries Compensation Board, the Emergency Number Systems Board, the Handgun Permit Review Board, and the Police and Correctional Training Commissions.


ADMINISTRATION

Hampton Plaza, 300 East Joppa Road, Suite 1000, Towson, MD 21286 - 3020

Administration oversees four divisions: Financial Services; Human Resources Services; Information Technology and Communications; and Procurement Services. Administration also is responsible for the Office of Property and Fleet Management Services, and is aided by the Sundry Claims Board.

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY & COMMUNICATIONS DIVISION

6776 Reisterstown Road, Suite 209, Baltimore, MD 21215 - 2341

The Information Technology and Communications Division originated as the Division of Data Services in 1970 within the Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services. The Division received its present name in June 1997.

For the Department, the Division builds and manages an information technology infrastructure. Computer systems that collect, store, and disseminate criminal history record information are designed, programmed, and operated by the Division. The Division also maintains secure application systems for sensitive data, such as the Sex Offender Registry Database, and the Maryland Automated Fingerprint Identification System (MAFIS). In addition, the Division maintains the Arrest Booking System, first implemented in 1995 at the Central Booking and Intake Center in Baltimore, and used also at eight other sites, including Frederick, Harford, Howard and Montgomery counties. Moreover, the Division provides management information services to the Department and other criminal justice agencies in Maryland.

The Division oversees seven units: Administration; Applications; the Criminal Justice Information System; Customer Support Services; Enterprise Infrastructure Services; Offender Management and Business Innovation; and the Program Management Office.

CRIMINAL JUSTICE INFORMATION SYSTEM
6776 Reisterstown Road, Baltimore, MD 21215 - 2341

In 1976, the Criminal Justice Information System began (Chapter 239, Acts of 1976). Components of the System are developed and managed by the Information Technology and Communications Division.

The Criminal Justice Information System is a statewide information system for the Maryland criminal justice community, including the courts; local, State and federal law enforcement agencies; local detention centers; State prisons; State's attorneys; and parole and probation officers. The System provides official records on persons arrested and convicted in Maryland. Through the Maryland Automated Fingerprint Identification System, individuals are identified and linked to their criminal history records (Code Criminal Procedure Article, secs. 10-201 through 10-204).

APPLICATIONS
Applications started in Fiscal Year 1987 as Management Information Systems. It became Systems Applications in 1997, and reorganized in 2004 as Application Services. The unit reformed as Development, Operations, and Technology in July 2007, and under its present name in February 2015.

Information processing services throughout the Department are the responsibility of Applications. The unit designs, implements, and maintains all Department information systems used for criminal justice and noncriminal justice purposes. It provides systems administration support, computer programming services, and user training to Department staff.

ENTERPRISE INFRASTRUCTURE SERVICES
Formerly Network and Telecommunication Services, Enterprise Infrastructure Services is responsible for voice, video and data transmission services. It implements network disaster recovery procedures, and plans and tests hardware and software support of total infrastructure.

OFFICE OF PROPERTY & FLEET MANAGEMENT SERVICES

Created in 1993, the Office of Property Management Services became the Office of Food and Property Services in 1997, and reverted to its original name in 1999. Its food service component transferred to the Division of Correction in 2003, and, in July 2007, the Office transferred from Property Services to Administration. It reformed under its present name in 2015.

The Office of Property and Fleet Management Services coordinates administration of the Department's fixed assets, motor vehicle fleet, property inventory, and commercially leased space.


CAPITAL PROGRAMS

Hampton Plaza, 300 East Joppa Road, Suite 1000, Towson, MD 21286 - 3020

Within the Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services, Capital Programs began as the Division of Support Services, became Property Services in March 2003, and reorganized under its present name in July 2007.

Capital Programs oversees three offices: Capital Construction and Facilities Maintenance; Environmental and Emergency Operations; and Lease Management.

OFFICE OF CAPITAL CONSTRUCTION & FACILITIES MAINTENANCE

Capital Construction, 6776 Reisterstown Road, Suite 201, Baltimore, MD 21215 - 2341
Facilities Maintenance, 7695 Old Jessup Road, Jessup, MD 20794

Units of the Office of Capital Construction and Facilities Maintenance began in 1990 under the Deputy Secretary as the Division of Capital Construction, and the Division of Facilities Maintenance. Both divisions combined in 1997 to form the present office.

Construction and related services for State correctional facilities are procured by the Office. It also maintains Department facilities, including those of Patuxent Institution, the Police and Correctional Training Commissions, and institutions of the Division of Correction.

OFFICE OF ENVIRONMENTAL & EMERGENCY OPERATIONS

In May 2003, the Office of Environmental and Emergency Operations began as the Office of Emergency and Risk Management Operations formed within the Office of Secretary. In July 2007, it reorganized as the Office of Emergency Operations, and in March 2008 transferred to Capital Programs. The Office reformed under its present name in 2015.


OPERATIONS

Operations originated within the Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services as Treatment Services. Created in March 2003, Treatment Services oversaw Inmate Health Services; Mental Health Services; Social Services; Substance Abuse Treatment Services; and the Patuxent Institution. In March 2008, it also became responsible for Inmate Education, Integrated Program Services, and the Criminal Injuries Compansation Board. Treatment Services reorganized as Programs and Services in March 2010 under a deputy secretary, and oversight of the Inmate Grievance Office was added to its responsibilities. It reformed as Operations in July 2012. Both the Inmate Grievance Office and the Criminal Injuries Compensation Board transferred to Administration during the 2012 reorganization.

In an April 2015 reorganization, Operations became responsible for Field Support Services, and the Patuxent Institution.

FIELD SUPPORT SERVICES

In April 2015, Field Support Services was organized under Operations to oversee Clinical Services, Programs and Services, and Security Operations.

CLINICAL SERVICES
In March 2010, Clinical Services separated from Inmate Health Services, and was placed under Programs and Services. In April 2015, it transferred to Operations, and was placed under Field Support Services.

Clinical Services monitors and oversees the health-care practitioners and providers who provide direct care to inmates.

Under Clinical Services are six units: the Inmate Health Care Administration, Nursing Services, Social Work Services, Commitment Services, Mental Health Services, and Substance Abuse Treatment Services.

PROGRAMS & SERVICES
6776 Reisterstown Road, Baltimore, MD 21215 - 2342

Formerly under the Division of Corrections, Programs and Services transferred to Operations in April 2015, and was placed under Field Support Services.

Correctional institutions classify inmates to determine how they should be confined and supervised. Once the security level of confinement has been determined, the specific conditions of confinement are evaluated for an inmate and, where appropriate, programs are offered in education, vocational training, employment, substance abuse counseling, and psychological and psychiatric intervention and security.

Prisons provide education, including elementary and secondary school instruction, advanced and specialized study, and vocational and on-the-job training. The instruction in pre-release units prepares inmates to obtain high school equivalency certificates. Prisons and pre-release units also offer programs for inmates to develop or relearn occupational skills. Inmates are assigned to a variety of maintenance tasks, as well as to the diversified Maryland Correctional Enterprises. These programs provide goods and services needed by certain public agencies. For example, several prisons operate their own laundries which also serve other State facilities.

Work Release Program. Established in 1963, this program permits certain prisoners to leave confinement for work at gainful employment in the community (Chapter 285, Acts of 1963). They return to the institution at the end of the work day. In 1968, this privilege was extended for attending school (Chapter 551, Acts of 1968). Under certain conditions, the Commissioner of Correction may authorize special leave for prisoners to seek employment or participate in special community rehabilitation programs. Weekend leaves also may be granted under certain conditions (Code Correctional Services Article, secs. 3-801 through 3-811).

Programs and Services directs Inmate Hearings, Security Operations, and five units: Case Management; Commitment; Intake, Housing, and Transportation; Religious and Volunteer Services; and Transition Services.

SECURITY OPERATIONS
Formerly under the Division of Correction, Security Operations moved to Field Support Services under Operations in 2015.

Under Security Operations are Crisis Management and Emergency Preparedness, Intelligence Coordination, the K-9 Unit, and the Security Audit Review Team.

PATUXENT INSTITUTION

P. O. Box 700, Waterloo Road, Jessup, MD 20794 - 0700

Authorized in 1951, Patuxent Institution opened in 1955 under administration by the Department of Correction (Chapter 476, Acts of 1951). The Institution became an autonomous agency under the control of the Board of Patuxent Institution in 1961 (Chapter 629, Acts of 1961). In 1970, the Institution was made part of the Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services (Chapter 401, Acts of 1970). Patuxent's status has continued as an institution separate from the Division of Correction, and it has retained its own board. From March 2003 to March 2010, the Institution was placed under Treatment Services, and in March 2010 was made part of Programs and Services. In 2015, the Institution transferred to Operations.

Originally, Patuxent Institution was created to provide psychotherapeutic treatment for men who demonstrated persistent antisocial and criminal behavior. These offenders, termed "defective delinquents" were involuntarily committed by the courts to Patuxent Institution for indeterminate sentences. On July 1, 1977, the Defective Delinquent Law along with indeterminate sentencing were abolished. Then years later, female offenders began to be treated at Patuxent, and, in 1990, the Patuxent Institution for Women opened on the grounds of Patuxent Institution.

Today, eligible male and female prisoners who are mentally disordered or physically impaired (including some chronic youthful offenders) are treated and rehabilitated at Patuxent Institution. The Institution offers medical, psychiatric, psychological and social casework services, as well as academic, vocational, recreational and religious services. Treatment also is provided for individuals on pre-parole and parole status.

The Commissioner of Correction may refer a prisoner to Patuxent Institution for evaluation when so recommended by the sentencing court, the State's Attorney of the jurisdiction in which the person was last sentenced, or the staff of the Division of Correction. The Commissioner also may refer prisoners in response to their applications. Each referred prisoner is transferred to the Institution and evaluated by a team consisting of at least three professional employees of the Institution, including at least one psychiatrist, one psychologist, and one social worker. The evaluation team assembles and reviews relevant information and examines the prisoner. The team then determines whether the individual is eligible and states its findings in a report to the Director. If not eligible, the prisoner is returned to the Division of Correction to continue his or her sentence. If eligible, the prisoner remains at Patuxent Institution for treatment.

Appointed by the Secretary of Public Safety and Correctional Services, the Director administers the Institution. Of two Associate Directors, one must be a psychiatrist and one a behavioral scientist. They assist primarily in diagnosis and treatment. The Warden is in charge of custody. By law, the staff also must include at least three additional psychiatrists or clinical psychologists, and at least four trained social workers (Code Correctional Services Article, secs. 4-101 through 4-401).

COMMUNITY TREATMENT RE-ENTRY FACILITY
319 West Monument St., Baltimore, MD 21201

To provide for continuation of treatment, the Patuxent Institution operates the Community Treatment Re-Entry Facility, a halfway house in metropolitan Baltimore. Here, clinic staff offer psychotherapy, job and family counseling, and social casework services for work-release inmates. The Facility also houses an After Care Center for the Correctional Options Program, with clinical guidance through Patuxent Institution.

CORRECTIONAL MENTAL HEALTH CENTER - JESSUP
In Fiscal Year 1992, the Correctional Mental Health Center - Jessup was established within Patuxent Institution.

PATUXENT INSTITUTION FOR WOMEN
In 1990, the Patuxent Institution for Women opened on the grounds of Patuxent Institution.

REGIMENTED OFFENDER TREATMENT CENTER
In cooperation with the Division of Parole and Probation, Patuxent Institution started the Regimented Offender Treatment Center in Fiscal Year 1994.


PROGRAMS & SERVICES

Headed by an Assistant Secretary, Programs and Services oversees three offices: Equal Employment Opportunity; Government, Legislative, and Community Affairs; and Grants, Policy, and Statistics. The Commission on Correctional Standards and the Inmate Grievance Office also are overseen by Programs and Services.

OFFICE OF EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY
6776 Reisterstown Road, Suite 311B, Baltimore, MD 21215

The Office of Equal Employment Opportunity started in 1989 as the Office of Minority Business Enterprise and Equal Opportunity under the Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services. The Office reorganized under its present name in July 2007 when the Minority Business Enterprise Program transferred to Capital Programs.

Equality of opportunity within the Department is established and maintained by the Office. In addition, the Office assures the Department's compliance with civil rights laws, mandates, and regulations, including the federal Americans with Disabilities Act, the Veterans' Rights Act, and the Ethics Law.

OFFICE OF GRANTS, POLICY, & STATISTICS
Hampton Plaza, 300 East Joppa Road, Suite 1000, Towson, MD 21286 - 3020

Under the Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services, the Office of Grants, Policy, and Statistics began in 1981 as the Division of Research and Statistics. In April 2003, that division merged with the Office of Policy, Planning, and Regulation to form the Office of Planning, Policy, Regulations, and Statistics. In March 2012, the Office assumed its present name

The Office develops data programming for producing statistical reports, and produces offender population projections for use in capital project planning and budgeting. In addition to data analysis and statistical research, the Office also provides leadership and technical expertise for regulation and policy development; coordinates strategic planning departmentwide; and is responsible for the Secretary's directives, and Departmental oversight and submissions for the Code of Maryland Regulations. Through planning, performance analysis, and reporting, the Office coordinates and oversees the Managing for Results and StateStat functions of the Department.


DIVISION OF CORRECTION

6776 Reisterstown Road, Baltimore, MD 21215 - 2341

The Division of Correction administers State correctional facilities. The Division is responsible for Maryland Correctional Enterprises; the Maryland Reception, Diagnostic, and Classification Center; the Maryland Correctional Pre-Release System; and ten State prisons:

For the U.S. Marshals Service, the Division of Corrections staffs and manages the Chesapeake Detention Facility, formerly the Maryland Correctional Adjustment Center, in Baltimore.

Annually, the Division of Correction houses up to 25,000 inmates, an average daily population of 20,891 in FY2010. Of approximately 15,000 inmates released from custody every year, about 49 percent are re-committed within three years.

The Division of Correction dates to the nineteenth century when the first State prisons - the Maryland Penitentiary and the Maryland House of Correction - were erected. Prior to 1916, the two prisons were autonomous. Each operated under the jurisdiction of either a board of directors or a board of managers appointed by the Governor. In 1916, these institutions were placed under the State Board of Prison Control (Chapter 556, Acts of 1916). To administer the prisons, the Board of Welfare superseded the State Board of Prison Control in 1922 (Chapter 29, Acts of 1922). In 1939, the Department of Correction and the Board of Correction replaced the Board of Welfare (Chapter 69, Acts of 1939).

The Superintendent of Prisons became administrator of the Department of Correction in 1953 (Chapter 758, Acts of 1953). Policies and appointments for institutions under Department jurisdiction were made by the Board of Correction upon recommendation of the Superintendent of Prisons. In 1962, the Advisory Board of Corrections replaced the Board of Correction, and the Superintendent of Prisons was succeeded by the Commissioner of Correction (Chapter 123, Acts of 1962). The Department of Correction was renamed the Department of Correctional Services in 1968 (Chapter 137, Acts of 1968).

State correctional responsibilities were assigned to the Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services in 1970 (Chapter 401, Acts of 1970). At that time, the Department of Correctional Services reorganized as the Division of Correction within the Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services.

The Commissioner of Correction is appointed by the Secretary of Public Safety and Correctional Services with the approval of the Governor and Senate advice and consent (Code Correctional Services Article, secs. 3-202 through 3-207). Under the Office of the Commissioner are: Administrative Services and Professional Development; Programs and Services; Regional Operations - Baltimore Region; Regional Operations - East; and Regional Operations - West. The Office of the Commissioner also oversees units for policy, procedures, and audits; public information; and victim services.

ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES
Under the Division of Correction, Administrative Services began as Administration and Special Programs, became Administrative Services and Professional Development in July 2004, and reformed as Administration and Special Projects in August 2006. It further restructured as Administrative Services and Professional Development in October 2006, and reorganized under its present name in 2015.

Under Administrative Services are Technology and three units: Finance, Food Services, and Property Management.

REGIONAL OPERATIONS - CENTRAL
In June 2007, an Assistant Commissioner assumed responsibility for Baltimore City Correctional Center; Maryland Correctional Adjustment Center (now Chesapeake Detention Facility); Maryland Reception, Diagnostic and Classification Center; Metropolitan Transition Center; and the Maryland Correctional Pre-Release System. In July 2012, Regional Operations - Central assumed oversight of the Central Maryland Correctional Facility.


MARYLAND CORRECTIONAL ENTERPRISES

7275 Waterloo Road, Jessup, MD 20794

Maryland Correctional Enterprises was established as State Use Industries under the Board of Correction in 1937 (Chapter 213, Acts of 1937). In 1970, the program was placed within the Division of Correction, and in 2005 renamed Maryland Correctional Enterprises (Chapter 124, Acts of 2005).

The program was designed to provide essential work and training for prisoners and to produce needed goods for State government with inmate labor. Inmates learn marketable job skills which improve their employability and reduce recidivism. In FY2011, Maryland Correctional Enterprises employed 1,855 inmates for over 2.83 million hours of training.

At a cost that does not exceed the prevailing average market price, Maryland Correctional Enterprises supplies services and produces goods. These are used by municipal, county, State and federal institutions or agencies and those of other states. They also are available to any charitable, civic, educational, fraternal or religious association, institution, or agency for its own use and not for resale to others within one year of purchase (Code Correctional Services Article, secs. 3-501 through 3-528).

Services supplied by Maryland Correctional Enterprises encompass construction, data entry, furniture restoration, mailing and distribution, moving, warehousing, and news clipping. Goods produced include a large selection of office furniture in traditional or contemporary wood; modular furniture; metal products, such as benches, carts, and shelving units; mattresses and pillows; and graphics, tags, and signs. Inmates also may be employed in meat cutting, laundry services, and agriculture. More recently, inmates have worked on green initiatives, such as growing and planting Bay grasses; building oyster cages for oyster recovery projects; and restoring and maintaining the apple orchards at Antietam National Battlefield. For the State's newest toll road, the InterCounty Connector, inmates installed gates, cleared off invasive plants, and planted more than 50,000 trees. In 2012, inmates will plant another 36,000 trees for the Connector.

The Chief Executive Officer of Maryland Correctional Enterprises is assisted by two assistant general managers, one for Administration, and one for Operations. The agency is aided by the Maryland Correctional Enterprises Management Council.


OPERATIONS - EAST

In July 2004, an Assistant Commissioner became responsible for Regional Operations - East, which included oversight of four prisons: Eastern Correctional Institution; Jessup Correctional Institution; Maryland Correctional Institution - Jessup; and the Maryland Correctional Institution for Women - Jessup. In 2015, Regional Operations - East was restructured as Operations - East, and also became responsible for the Central Maryland Correctional Facility.

CENTRAL MARYLAND CORRECTIONAL FACILITY
P. O. Box 394
Springfield Hospital Center, 7301 Buttercup Road, Sykesville, MD 21784 - 0394

As the Central Laundry Facility, the Central Maryland Correctional Facility formed in 1960 to serve the laundry needs of institutions under what is now the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. In July 2009, the Facility adopted its present name. In July 2012, the Facility transferred from the Maryland Correctional Pre-Release System to Regional Operations - Central. In 2015, the Facility was placed under Operations - East.

Located at Springfield Hospital Center, the Facility also takes care of laundry for institutions of the Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services. The Unit is a minimum-security institution with a residential substance-abuse treatment program.

JESSUP CORRECTIONAL INSTITUTION

P. O. Box 534, Maryland House of Correction Road, Jessup, Maryland 20794 - 0534

Opened in October 1991 as the Maryland House of Correction Annex, the Jessup Correctional Institution is a maximum-security facility, adjacent to the Maryland House of Correction. Formerly part of the Maryland House of Correction, it became a separate institution in February 1999, the Maryland House of Correction Annex. The Institution assumed its current name in July 2006.

The Institution consists of five housing units, each holding 192 cells. Designed for double bunks, these units include the statewide protective custody unit. The Institution also holds a segregation housing unit of 144 cells where inmates are isolated from the general prison population either as punishment, or voluntarily for their own protection. A support services building houses the dining room, education and vocational training, and medical services. With an inmate capacity of 1,800, the Institution is transitioning to medium security.

MARYLAND CORRECTIONAL INSTITUTION - JESSUP

P. O. Box 549, Maryland House of Correction Road (off Route 175), Jessup, MD 20794 - 0549

The Maryland Correctional Institution at Jessup opened in 1981 as an annex to the Maryland House of Correction. Now a separate facility, the Institution is a medium-security prison with an operating capacity of 1,068 adult male inmates serving sentences of three months or longer.

MARYLAND CORRECTIONAL INSTITUTION FOR WOMEN - JESSUP

P. O. Box 535, 7943 Brock Bridge Road, Jessup, MD 20794 - 0535

In the nineteenth century, women prisoners first were housed in quarters reserved for them at the Maryland Penitentiary. The Maryland House of Correction, opened in 1879, also was built with separate quarters for women. Although advocated by the Maryland Penitentiary Penal Commission in 1913, not until 1939 did the State construct a separate prison for women.

On land adjacent to the House of Correction, a separate prison for women was authorized in 1937 (Chapter 487, Acts of 1937). A grant from the federal Works Progress Administration augmented State funds and construction began in 1939. What is now the Maryland Correctional Institution for Women - Jessup received its first prisoners on October 1, 1940, and formally was established in 1941 as the Women's Prison of the State of Maryland (Chapter 71, Acts of 1941). The Prison was renamed Maryland State Reformatory for Women in 1945 (Chapter 520, Acts of 1945). In 1962, it became the Maryland Institution for Women and adopted its present name in 1964.

The Institution houses up to 915 female inmates with minimum, medium or maximum security.

The Reception-Diagnostic Classification Center at the Institution receives all adult women who have been convicted of felonies and misdemeanors and sentenced to the jurisdiction of the State for terms of six months to life. After classification at the Center, women inmates are transferred to a prison to complete their sentences.


EASTERN CORRECTIONAL INSTITUTION

P. O. Box 500, Route 1
30420 Revells Neck Road, Westover, MD 21890 - 0500

Located in central Somerset County, the Eastern Correctional Institution opened in 1987. The Institution is a medium-security prison for men built as two identical compounds (East and West) on a 620-acre tract. It has a pre-release unit, a minimum security annex for 610 inmates, and an operating capacity of 2,665 medium security inmates.

MINIMUM SECURITY COMPOUND
(EASTERN CORRECTIONAL INSTITUTION ANNEX)

30430 Revells Neck Road, Westover, MD 21890 - 3368

In September 1993, the Minimum Security Compound opened as the Eastern Correctional Institution Annex. It is a 610-bed minimum-security facility under the jurisdiction of the Eastern Correctional Institution. The Compound consists of three housing units, one support building, and an outside recreation area. It is outside the secure perimeter of the Eastern Correctional Institution compound. In July 2006, a new 140-bed housing unit opened, with space for inmate programs relating to addictions, career development, parenting, and domestic violence.

POPLAR HILL PRE-RELEASE UNIT
P. O. Box 14, 24090 Nanticoke Road, Quantico, MD 21856 - 0014

Poplar Hill Pre-Release Unit was created in 1950. Formerly under the Maryland Correctional Pre-Release System, the Poplar Hill Pre-Release Unit became part of Eastern Correctional Institution in November 1997. The Unit is 180-bed facility located on 40 acres in Wicomico County, about 25 miles from Eastern Correctional Institution.

Originally, the Unit provided inmate labor to the highway departments of Wicomico, Dorchester, Somerset and Worcester counties. Now, inmates at Poplar Hill provide public services through contracts with the State Highway Administration, Deer's Head Center, the Department of Natural Resources, and local governments.

In a renovated farm house on the premises, educational and employment readiness programs are conducted. Vocational programming is available through contract with the Somerset County Board of Education. Pre-release programming includes work release and family leave.


MARYLAND CORRECTIONAL PRE-RELEASE SYSTEM

P. O. Box 537
Administration Building, 7930 Brock Bridge Road, Jessup, MD 20794 - 0537

The Maryland Correctional Pre-Release System operates units that provide work and other rehabilitation for prisoners. System facilities mainly house inmates in the Work Release Program (Code Correctional Services Article, secs. 3-801 through 3-807). Before assignment to a pre-release unit, prisoners are screened carefully at the Maryland Reception, Diagnostic, and Classification Center or at the institutions to which they are assigned. When possible, inmates are assigned to the pre-release unit nearest their home.

Minimum-security pre-release units originated in 1955 as public works camps (Chapter 266, Acts of 1955). These camps were designed to provide road or forestry work for prisoners outside penal institutions. The intent was to place more individuals outside of crowded institutions where they could work on public works projects that would benefit the State. By 1963, under the Work Release Law, the public works camps were renamed correctional camps (Code 1957, Art. 27, sec. 689(f); repealed by Chapter 412, Acts of 1997). The camps gave prisoners the opportunity to rehabilitate themselves by using occupational skills or acquiring new ones in preparation for their eventual release. In 1972, the camps were reorganized as community correctional centers (Chapter 464, Acts of 1972). Four years later, they reformed as community adult rehabilitation centers (Chapter 234, Acts of 1976; Code Correctional Services Article, secs. 11-301 through 11-320). The centers transferred to the Maryland Correctional Pre-Release System in July 1978, and were renamed pre-release units in September 1978.

Within the Maryland Correctional Pre-Release System are Brockbridge Correctional Facility (a medium-security institution), and a minimum-security facility, the Dorsey Run Correctional Facility. The System also is responsible for two pre-release units: Central Maryland Correctional Facility, Southern Maryland Pre-Release Unit, and Eastern Pre-Release Unit.

Other pre-release units operate under the jurisdiction of the nearest correctional institution, in order to share resources. These include the Baltimore Pre-Release Unit, Harold E. Donnell Pre-Release Unit, and Poplar Hill Pre-Release Unit.

ANNE ARUNDEL COUNTY

CHARLES COUNTY

QUEEN ANNE'S COUNTY


OPERATIONS - WEST

In July 2004, an Assistant Commissioner became responsible for Regional Operations - West to oversee six prisons: Metropolitan Transition Center; Maryland Correctional Institution - Hagerstown; Maryland Correctional Training Center; North Branch Correctional Institution; Roxbury Correctional Institution; and Western Correctional Institution. In October 2006, responsibility for certain Baltimore institutions transferred to the Assistant Commissioner, but in June 2007, the Baltimore institutions moved under an Assistant Commissioner responsible solely for the Baltimore region. In 2015, Regional Operations - West reformed as Operations - West, and encompassed those Baltimore prisons, as well as those in Western Maryland.

MARYLAND RECEPTION, DIAGNOSTIC & CLASSIFICATION CENTER

550 East Madison St., Baltimore, MD 21202

The Maryland Reception, Diagnostic and Classification Center began in June 1967 as a reception center in the south wing of the Maryland Penitentiary (Chapter 695, Acts of 1967). At its present location, the Center opened in October 1981.

Here, male inmates diagnostically are evaluated, classified, and assigned to an institution of the Division of Correction. In FY2014, the Center processed and evaluated 3,753 inmates. A multi-level security facility, the seven-story Center has an estimated operating capacity of 670 inmates.

METROPOLITAN TRANSITION CENTER
(formerly Maryland Penitentiary)

954 Forrest St., Baltimore, MD 21202
[photo, Metropolitan Transition Center (formerly Maryland Penitentiary), view from Eager St., Baltimore Maryland] The Metropolitan Transition Center is Maryland's oldest State prison and the oldest operating penal institution in the western world. It was first named the Maryland Penitentiary. Authorized in 1804, the Maryland Penitentiary opened in 1811 (Resolution no. 32, Acts of 1804). From 1811 to 1879 when the Maryland House of Correction opened, the Penitentiary was Maryland's only prison. Although women had separate quarters, juveniles and the criminally insane were housed with the general prison population.

For nearly two centuries, the Penitentiary's physical plant evolved to meet changing needs and penal philosophy. The original administration building and western dormitory were joined by a 5-tier eastern dormitory in 1829. To incorporate the Auburn system of discipline (work together in silence by day, confined in individual cells at night), three wings connected by corridors to a central octagonal pavilion were completed in 1836. A flurry of building (mostly of dormitories) from 1870 to 1878 alleviated overcrowding.

Metropolitan Transition Center (formerly Maryland Penitentiary), view from Eager St., Baltimore, Maryland, January 2000. Photo by Diane F. Evartt.


As the Maryland Penitentiary, building began on a new physical plant in 1894. The west wing (along Eager St.) and the south wing (along Forrest St.) were completed in 1899, flanking the large central administration building completed in 1896. The most recent additions were made in 1956. Then, the old administration building dating from 1811 and one of the original cell houses were replaced by a sixty-bed general hospital for men in the correctional system.

A maximum-security section to confine prisoners under sentence of death and an execution chamber were included in the 1956 building. Since 1923, executions have taken place at the Penitentiary (Chapter 465, Acts of 1922). From 1923 to 1955, seventy-five men were executed by hanging in the old gallows chamber. From 1957 to 1962, four men died in the new gas chamber. Executions ceased in Maryland from June 1961 to May 1994. By statute, in 1994, the method of execution was changed from lethal gas to lethal injection (Chapter 5, Acts of 1994). In 2013, Maryland abolished the death penalty (Chapter 156, Acts of 2013).

In February 1998, the Penitentiary reorganized as the Metropolitan Transition Center. The Center incarcerates short-term offenders where previously it had held those long-term prisoners requiring maximum security. Effective July 1, 2001, the Baltimore City Correctional Center, Baltimore Pre-Release Unit, and the Central Home Detention Unit transferred from the Maryland Correctional Pre-Release System to the jurisdiction of the Metropolitan Transition Center. In 2008, the Central Home Detention Unit moved to Community Surveillance and Enforcement in the Division of Parole and Probation.

MARYLAND CORRECTIONAL INSTITUTION - HAGERSTOWN

18601 Roxbury Road, Hagerstown, MD 21746

The Maryland Correctional Institution - Hagerstown is a medium-security prison for men in Washington County. Authorized in 1931 as the Maryland State Penal Farm (Chapter 366, Acts of 1931), it opened, after funding delays, in 1942. In 1945, the Penal Farm was replaced by the Maryland State Reformatory for Males (Chapter 519, Acts of 1945). The Reformatory was renamed Maryland Institution for Men in 1962, and Maryland Correctional Institution in 1964.

Additional housing has been added to the prison which has an inmate capacity of 2,179. The Western Program Development Center opened as an emergency housing unit of 420 beds in 1983.

MARYLAND CORRECTIONAL TRAINING CENTER

P. O. Box 3333, Route 3
18800 Roxbury Road, Hagerstown, MD 21746 - 3333

The Maryland Correctional Training Center, a medium-security institution, was authorized in 1966 (Chapter 385, Acts of 1966). The Center offers educational and vocational training to male inmates. Prisoners who are not amenable to rehabilitation remain in or are transferred to the Maryland Correctional Institution - Hagerstown.

On the grounds of the Maryland Correctional Training Center, a work release center occupies a separate building. The work release center has a rated capacity of 75 beds and houses those inmates on the Work Release Program and several inmates who are part of the institutional cadre. Another minimum security unit, opened in 1977, has a rated capacity of 128 beds.

NORTH BRANCH CORRECTIONAL INSTITUTION

14100 McMullen Highway, SW, Cumberland, MD 21502

In Spring 2001, construction began on the first housing unit of a new maximum security prison at Cumberland. That first unit opened as a medium security housing unit for Western Correctional Institution in January 2003. The Gatehouse, Support Services Building, and the sewage pumping station were completed in 2005, while construction continued on Housing Unit 2. In March 2008, North Branch Correctional Institution officially opened as a maximum security institution with an operating capacity of 675 inmates.

ROXBURY CORRECTIONAL INSTITUTION

P. O. Box 4444, Route 3
18701 Roxbury Road, Hagerstown, MD 21746 - 4444

In Washington County, the Roxbury Correctional Institution is a medium-security prison for men with capacity for 1,771 inmates. It opened in 1980 as the Roxbury Emergency Housing Unit with a 128-bed capacity at the Maryland Correctional Institution-Hagerstown. As a separate facility, the Roxbury Correctional Institution opened in December 1983.

WESTERN CORRECTIONAL INSTITUTION

13800 McMullen Highway, SW, Cumberland, MD 21502

As a medium-security prison in Allegany County, Western Correctional Institution opened July 13, 1996. It was reauthorized as a maximum-security prison in July 2007. The Institution is designed to house 1,793 inmates with some 503 staff. Based on prototypes of the facilities at the Maryland House of Correction Annex in Jessup, housing consists of a 144-cell unit and three 192-cell units. Two of these units, along with support services, basic site work, utilities, and perimeter security were completed in 1996. The facility opened with the capacity to house 768 inmates. The remaining housing units were completed in 1997.

The Institution's central services - administration, maintenance, laundry, and warehouse - are set apart from inmate housing areas. Food is shipped from the Hagerstown central kitchen several times per week, with final preparations in the Institution's finishing kitchen. The perimeter security fence is maximum security.


DIVISION OF PAROLE & PROBATION

6776 Reisterstown Road, Suite 305, Baltimore, MD 21215 - 2341

Functions of the Division of Parole and Probation date to 1914 when the Advisory Board of Parole was created to investigate applications for pardon and parole and report its findings to the Governor (Chapter 500, Acts of 1914). The Board was replaced by the Parole Commissioner in 1922 (Chapter 29, Acts of 1922). Duties of the Parole Commissioner were reorganized under the Division of Parole and Probation formed in 1939 to administer State parole and probation laws (Chapter 406, Acts of 1939). In 1953, the Division was renamed the Department of Parole and Probation (Chapter 653, Acts of 1953). The Department in 1968 separated from the Board of Parole (later the Maryland Parole Commission) (Chapter 457, Acts of 1968). In 1970, the Department reorganized as the Division of Parole and Probation within the Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services (Chapter 401, Acts of 1970).

The conduct of parolees and adult probationers is supervised by the Division, which conducts investigations for the Maryland Parole Commission, the courts, and the Governor.

Supervision. Supervision and services are provided to offenders based upon the risk of their continued criminal activity. For parolees, probationers, and offenders for whom supervision is mandatory, the Division offers counseling, social casework, and diagnosis of substance abuse and other problems. Citizen volunteers help counsel parolees and probationers to lead law-abiding lives. The Division also regularly informs the Maryland Parole Commission of parolees' activities and notifies the District or Circuit Courts of probationers' activities. At its discretion, the Division recommends that the Commission issue arrest warrants for parole violators. To apprehend probationers charged with violating conditions of their probation, warrants also are requested from the courts.

Investigations. Division investigations help the Maryland Parole Commission determine whether to grant parole. When requested, the Division also conducts investigations for the courts of Maryland, and when the sentencing of a defendant convicted of felony in a Circuit Court may result in the defendant being remanded to the jurisdiction of the Division of Correction or Patuxent Institution. At the direction of the Court of Special Appeals, the Division investigates, reports, and makes recommendations regarding applications for review of criminal sentences. Where a felony offense caused physical, psychological or economic injury, the Division prepares a victim impact statement as part of the presentence investigation. A victim impact statement also is prepared when a misdemeanor offense has caused serious physical injury or death.

At the request of the Governor or the Governor's designee, the Division investigates and reports on persons applying for pardon, commutation of sentence, or clemency. In addition, the Division investigates the home and employment proposals of parolees and probationers from other states wanting to live in Maryland under the Uniform Out-of-State Parolee Supervision Act.

The Director of Parole and Probation is appointed by the Secretary of Public Safety and Correctional Services with the approval of the Governor and Senate advice and consent. The Director serves at the pleasure of the Secretary (Code Correctional Services Article, secs. 6-101 through 6-205).

Four offices carry out the work of the Division: Administrative Services, Field Support Services, Program Services, and Special Programs.

OFFICE OF ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES

To the Division of Parole and Probation and its field operations, the Office of Administrative Services provides administrative, budget, fiscal, human resource management, lease and facilities management, and staff development and training services.

OFFICE OF FIELD SUPPORT SERVICES

The Office of Field Support Services was initiated in 1978 as the Office of Field Operations. It reformed under its present name in 2015.

Originally, the Office was formed to decentralize the statewide administration of parole and probation services.

Under the Office are Community Surveillance and Enforcement; and the Regional Offices of Criminal Supervision.

COMMUNITY SURVEILLANCE & ENFORCEMENT
Community Surveillance and Enforcement originated as the Community Service Program, and reorganized under its present name in 2008.

For nonviolent offenders, this unit provides the courts with a sentencing alternative to incarceration, such as home detention, drug court, day reporting, boot camps, intensive parole supervision, a regimented offender treatment center, or a re-entry aftercare facility. Nonviolent offenders may be assigned to perform unpaid labor in their community at approved worksites, such as government agencies and charitable and nonprofit organizations. Community service can be ordered as a pretrial diversionary sanction, or a post-trial sentencing alternative.

Community Surveillance and Enforcement oversees five units: Case Monitoring; Central Home Detention; Interstate Compact; Liaison Agent Waiver; and Warrant Apprehension. It also is responsible for the Drinking-Driver Monitoring Program, and the Violence Prevention Initiative.

REGIONAL OFFICES OF CRIMINAL SUPERVISION
Regional Offices of Criminal Supervision formed as Offices of Regional Operations in 1980. They reorganized under their present name in 1994.

Four regional offices administer the supervision of probationers and parolees by agents assigned to some forty field offices.

OFFICE OF PROGRAM SERVICES

Formed in 2000, the Office of Program Services is responsible for Management Information Services; Offender Services and Laboratory Services; and Special Courts and Problem-Solving Courts.

OFFENDER SERVICES & LABORATORY SERVICES

This unit serves victims of offenders who are being supervised in the community. Its services may include financial assistance; providing current information on the whereabouts of an offender; and aid in dealing with the courts and criminal justice system.

OFFICE OF SPECIAL PROGRAMS

The Office of Special Programs is responsible for Community Surveillance and Enforcement.


DIVISION OF PRETRIAL DETENTION & SERVICES

401 East Eager St., Baltimore, MD 21202

The Division of Pretrial Detention and Services was established within the Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services in 1991 (Chapter 59, Acts of 1991). For those arrested and awaiting trial in criminal proceedings before the District Court or the Circuit Court of Baltimore, the Division administers the Baltimore City Detention Center, and the Central Booking and Intake Center. The Division also oversees Pretrial Release Services for Baltimore.

In 1991, when the Division was formed, the State assumed responsibility for the Baltimore City Jail and renamed it as the Baltimore City Detention Center. Maryland is the only state which has administrative control over a large local detention center.

Appointed by the Secretary of Public Safety and Correctional Services with the Governor's approval, the Commissioner of Pretrial Detention and Services heads the Division (Code Correctional Services Article, secs. 5-101 through 5-302).

BALTIMORE PRE-RELEASE UNIT
926 Greenmount Ave., Baltimore, MD 21202

Opened in April 1981, the Baltimore Pre-Release Unit was created from the merger of the Community Vocational Rehabilitation Center and the Greenmount Avenue Pre-Release Unit. On July 1, 2001, the Unit transferred from the Maryland Correctional Pre-Release System to the Maryland Transition Center. In 2015, the Unit was placed under the Division of Pretrial Detention and Services.

The Baltimore Pre-Release Unit prepares inmates to return to the community. Unit programs and services emphasize job readiness training, work crews, work experience, and work release. The Unit houses up to 201 inmates.

BALTIMORE CITY DETENTION CENTER

401 East Eager St., Baltimore, MD 21202

The Baltimore City Detention Center originated in the eighteenth century as the Baltimore City Jail. In 1802, it was replaced by a new jail on Mill Street on the east side of Jones Falls. An annex for women inmates was constructed in 1823. The jail structure served until 1860 when a new building opened at Madison Street and Jones Falls. Over the years, the building expanded. In 1960, connective north and south wings were constructed; in 1971, a separate jail for women was built.

By 1991, Baltimore City Jail consisted of seven buildings. Five were maximum- and medium-security structures: the Men's Detention Center; Women's Detention Center; Jail Industries Building; Wyatt Building; and the Annex Building. Minimum-security persons were housed in two satellite facilities: O'Brien House, and the Resident Labor Facility. In July 1991, the State took over administration of the Baltimore City Jail and renamed it the Baltimore City Detention Center under the Division of Pretrial Detention and Services (Chapter 59, Acts of 1991).

The Baltimore City Detention Center is one of the largest municipal jails in the nation. Over 40,000 inmates are committed to the Center annually. The daily number of inmates averages over 3,000. The Center is a pretrial detention facility for any person committed or transferred to the custody of the Commissioner of Pretrial Detention and Services. As authorized by the Secretary of Public Safety and Correctional Services, the Center also may house any person held in custody by any agency of the Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services.

The Warden is appointed by the Commissioner of Pretrial Detention and Services with the approval of the Secretary of Public Safety and Correctional Services (Code Correctional Services Article, secs. 5-401 through 5-406).

MEN'S DETENTION CENTER
By order of the Governor, the Men's Detention Center closed, and by August 2015, all inmates had been transferred to other facilities. Prior to its closing, the Men's Detention Center had been the largest component of the Baltimore City Detention Center.

CENTRAL BOOKING & INTAKE CENTER

300 East Madison St., Baltimore, MD 21202

The Central Booking and Intake Center was first the Central Booking and Intake Facility which opened in July 1995 in Baltimore. All adults arrested in Baltimore are processed (booked) at the Center. Previously, suspects were booked at district police stations. The Center includes Pretrial Release Services; the District Court Commissioners for Baltimore; the Office of State's Attorney for Baltimore; and Baltimore City Police Services (Code Correctional Services Article, sec. 5-404).

Designed to become a statewide criminal justice information network, the Automated Booking System is used by the Center. Currently, six counties and the Center are part of the System. With uniform data entries, the System quickly identifies a detainee, and any previous criminal history or outstanding arrest warrants.

The booking process begins with a bar-coded bracelet assigned to the detainee for tracking purposes. Then, the detainee's personal, descriptive and demographic information is entered into the System. Biometric identification is done by laser-scan digitized fingerprinting and digitized video photos, which can be transmitted electronically for quick comparison.

As the booking process continues, the arresting officer enters data into the System about the arrest and charges. This report goes to an on-site District Court Commissioner who conducts an initial hearing to determine probable cause, set bail, and assign a trial date. After identification, the detainee is interviewed by a pretrial investigator. Booking then is completed. With new technology, the process is expected to take under four hours.

After booking, the detainee either is released on recognizance, posts bail, or is assigned to the Center. For intake, the detainee is issued a new bar code with a Maryland identification number and photograph, and undergoes a video bail review by a judge, eliminating the need to transport suspects to District Court. The efficiency of the process is intended to reduce the number of people jailed before trial and save the costs of housing defendants.

CHESAPEAKE DETENTION FACILITY

401 East Madison St., Baltimore, MD 21202

In 1989, the Chesapeake Detention Facility originated as the Maryland Correctional Adjustment Center opened under jurisdiction of the Maryland Penitentiary. In October 1997, the Center was made an independent unit under the Division of Correction. On April 4, 2012, the Center was renamed the Chesapeake Detention Facility under the U.S. Marshals Service. Within the Division of Correction, the Facility is part of the Division of Pretrial Detention and Services.

Formerly, the Center was a maximum-security prison for adult male offenders with adjustment problems. Located across the street from the Maryland Penitentiary, it functioned as a satellite of the Penitentiary, housing the most violent criminals. Known as Supermax, the Center had an operating capacity for 511, one prisoner to a cell. Its inmates included federal prisoners, and those under sentence of death.

In September 2010, the Department and the U.S. Marshals Service entered into an agreement whereby the Center continues to be staffed and maintained by the Department, but houses only federal prisoners awaiting trial.

PRETRIAL RELEASE SERVICES
Mitchell Courthouse, Room 508, 100 North Calvert St., Baltimore, MD 21202

Formerly under the Circuit Court for Baltimore City, the Pretrial Release Services Division became a unit of the Division of Parole and Probation in 1985 (Chapter 725, Acts of 1985). In 1988, the Pretrial Release Services Division was established as a separate division within the Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services (Chapter 474, Acts of 1988). The Division reorganized as a program within the Division of Pretrial Detention and Services in 1991 (Chapter 59, Acts of 1991), and was placed under the Chesapeake Detention Facility in 2015.

Pretrial Release Services investigates all defendants awaiting trial in criminal proceedings before the Baltimore City Circuit Court and the District Court of Maryland for Baltimore. The Program then provides the courts with verified information regarding the defendant's ties to the community and special problems such as alcoholism, drug addiction, or residential placement needs. The Program also makes recommendations to the courts regarding pretrial release or detention of defendants awaiting trial.

Of over 50,000 defendants screened annually, the Program supervises and monitors approximately 19,000 defendants for whom the court orders pretrial release. Urine testing surveillance is used for some of these defendants. At trial or in subsequent proceedings, the Program reports to the court on the defendant's compliance with the terms of pretrial release. These compliance reports are used for sentencing decisions and, in some instances, plea bargaining negotiations.

To minimize unnecessary incarceration, the Program develops alternative sanction plans under court supervision, and arbitrates or mediates disputes when requested by the court. Under scrutiny of the courts, the State's Attorney, and the Public Defender or private counsel, the Program presents and defends alternatives to prosecution.

In addition, the Program reviews the status of defendants in pretrial detention in the Baltimore City Detention Center. To reduce overcrowding, the Program recommends options to the court, such as scheduling early trials; monitors writs, detainers, and violations of court orders; and further investigates the feasibility of recognizance or reduced bail for some defendants.

The Director and Deputy Director are appointed by the Commissioner of Pretrial Detention and Services with the approval of the Secretary of Public Safety and Correctional Services (Code Correctional Services Article, secs. 5-301 through 5-302).

Maryland Constitutional Offices & Agencies
Maryland Departments
Maryland Independent Agencies
Maryland Executive Commissions, Committees, Task Forces, & Advisory Boards
Maryland Universities & Colleges
Maryland Counties
Maryland Municipalities
Maryland at a Glance


Maryland Manual On-Line

Search the Manual
e-mail: mdmanual@mdarchives.state.md.us

© Copyright Maryland State Archives