Accomplishments

The Department of Corrections is proud of its achievements. Employees work hard to ensure customer service excellence, good management and quality accomplishments. Highlighted are just some of the Department's most notable achievements:

  • Was the first Maryland local jail facility to achieve certification from the American Correctional Association under its performance-based adult local detention facility health care program.
  • Increased the number of mental health treatment personnel in recognition of the growing numbers of incarcerated requiring these services.
  • Received its 18th re-accreditation from the Maryland Commission on Correctional Standards in 2019.
  • Developed a separate, comprehensive program, Juveniles in Adult Correctional Settings, for youth ages 14-17 who have been waived to adult status by the courts. The Board of Education provides specialized teachers for the program.
  • Inmate graduates of the Department's high school equivalency program regularly achieve high test scores on state examinations.
  • Developed a Sisters-to-Sisters mentoring program and a Women's Empowerment Program for female inmates.
  • The facility’s substance abuse programs receive high marks from the state during periodic certification audits.
  • Created a Hispanic Committee to provide translations and service improvements for the growing Spanish-speaking inmate population and produced numerous documents and signage for non-English speaking incarcerated Hispanics.
  • Created an orientation video to better acquaint new inmates with the environment.
  • Created a community service program for court-ordered offenders and added a work crew component for adults and for juveniles to assist government and nonprofit groups.
  • Implemented a domestic violence program for inmates.
  • Annually achieves compliance with the state mandate for staff in-service training.
  • Updated security equipment, including radios and vests, cameras and scanning equipment.
  • Conducts an education program, COPES, focusing on drugs, peer pressure, and gang affiliation to sixth grade classes at county schools.
  • Purchased and installed its first "art in public places" mural in June 2007.
  • Honor Guard represents the Department at many community activities.
  • Created a Critical Incident Stress Management program for staff.
  • Replaced older computers according to a strategic staging plan and increased the number of information technology employees.
  • Created and expanded aftercare program.
  • Began to provide assessments for inmates in the early stage of incarceration to better prepare them for reentry.
  • Planned and operate a duty day plan to help save money on overtime costs.
  • Adopted a digital photo system for better processing of inmates and purchased new fingerprinting machinery.
  • Recognized by Maryland Association of Counties for the Employee Support Unit and the work it does to ensure all of the Department's staff is mentally and emotionally healthy.
  • Held the 23rd annual Pencil Box Project to donate school supplies and uniform clothes to a local school.

Updated August 2019