Maryland House of Correction Shuts Down
March 26, 2007
Gov. Martin O’Malley announces the shutting down of the Maryland House of Correction at a press conference on March 19. To his right is CO Bernard Ralph, Local 1678 president.
PHOTO CREDIT: Tiffany Ricci
Responding to AFSCME’s long-standing demand to do something about the dangers facing corrections officers (COs) in Maryland’s prisons, Gov. Martin O’Malley (D) officially closed the Maryland House of Correction (HOC) on March 19. The 840-inmate facility has been the site of repeated violence over the years, including the fatal slaying of two COs in the last 15 months.
After another stabbing of a CO two weeks ago, AFSCME Council 92 met with O’Malley who promptly shut down the 129-year-old prison in Jessup – the nation’s oldest facility. “I always felt like we were in a race against time to get our corrections officers and the inmates out of this facility before another stabbing or, God forbid, another murder happened,” O’Malley said at a press conference. During his campaign for governor, he assured COs throughout the state that he will address their concerns.
“The governor not only listened, but acted decisively,” says Sue Esty, Council 92 interim executive director. “His immediate actions are unprecedented. It is a wonderful change from the last four years where correctional staff were ignored. Too many COs and inmates have been harmed in this facility. The time is long past to stop the bleeding.”
Local 1678 Pres. Bernard Ralph, a lieutenant at the Maryland Correctional Institution in Jessup, is also pleased with the governor’s prompt action. “When one of our COs was gunned down last year, we expected Gov. Robert Ehrlich [R] to once and for all act on our demands,” he says. “Prison safety was a major issue for us and we’ve been calling attention to it for more than 10 years. We’re heartened that Governor O’Malley followed through with his campaign promise.”
Meanwhile, correctional officers from HOC are being placed at other Jessup prisons. “This change has the added benefit of increasing staffing at other facilities that have severe problems, including too much mandatory overtime,” adds Ralph. “We are very happy that the corrections division is not only filling vacancies but also adding necessary new posts to be filled at the Jessup Correctional Institution.”
