The Maryland State Prison System

The Maryland State prison system handles the process of confining persons convicted of criminal offenses in the state. The state court tries individuals accused of committing a crime and may penalize guilty defendants by sentencing them to a jail term. Apart from remanding criminals, the state prison also rehabilitates prisoners and serves as a deterrence to future criminal activities.

The Division of Correction of the Maryland Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services (DPSCS) is responsible for managing all the prison facilities in the state and overseeing its daily operation.

What is the Difference Between Jail and Prison in Maryland?

Typically, the court may sentence individuals convicted of a crime in Maryland to incarceration in a prison or a jail. A major difference between a jail and a prison is the length of the incarceration sentence. The court sentences offenders to prison if they are to be incarcerated for a lengthier period. Jail sentences are usually for a shorter period and may not surpass a year or two.

Usually, offenders that commit severe crimes are sentenced to prison, while a jail sentence occurs as a result of lesser offenses. The criminal justice system also remands persons awaiting trials in jails.

The state government is in charge of overseeing the prison system through the DPSCS Division of Correction. The local law enforcement agency handles the operation of jail facilities located within their jurisdiction. The state prisons are more equipped for a longer stay of inmates and have a larger capacity to hold prisoners than jails.

How Many Prisons are in Maryland?

Maryland maintains eighteen prison facilities within its jurisdiction. Among these prisons are also pre-release centers. The correctional facilities situated in Maryland include:

• Baltimore Central Booking and Intake Center
• Baltimore Pretrial Complex
• Chesapeake Detention Facility (Formerly MCAC)
• Metropolitan Transition Center
• Youth Detention Center
• Baltimore City Correctional Center
• Correctional Mental Health Center
• Dorsey Run Correctional Facility
• Eastern Correctional Institution Westover
• Maryland Correctional Institution for Women
• Eastern Correctional Institution Annex
• Eastern Pre-Release Unit Church Hill
• Jessup Correctional Institution
• Maryland Correctional Institution - Hagerstown
• Maryland Correctional Institution - Jessup
• Maryland Correctional Pre-Release System Admin Offices
• Maryland Correctional Training Centre
• Maryland Reception, Diagnostic and Classification Center
• North Branch Correctional Institution
• Patuxent Institution
• Roxbury Correctional Institution
• Southern Maryland Pre-Release Unit
• Western Correctional Institutes

How do I search for an Inmate in Maryland State Prison?

Querying parties can visit the Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services website to find an inmate held at any Maryland state prison facility. The site provides an Inmate Locator tool that querying parties can utilize to obtain details on inmates. However, the locator only provides information on offenders currently remanded in a state prison facility.

To use the search tool, interested individuals are to complete the query boxes with the first name and the last name of the inmate they wish to search. Users can learn information such as the prison facility that an inmate is remanded.

Alternatively, there are third-party websites that maintain a database of inmates held at a Maryland prison facility. Interested individuals can visit such websites and make use of their search tool to find inmates.

Are Incarceration Records Public in Maryland?

Incarceration records are public information in Maryland. The Maryland Public Information Act grants the general public access to records managed by the Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services. Individuals looking to get incarceration records can request them from their custodian, upon satisfaction of any request requirements. Incarceration records may provide information on the facility an inmate is held and their criminal background. However, custodians may withhold some information due to their confidential nature. Records that the court also expunges are exempted from the public’s access.

Records that are considered public may be accessible from some third-party websites. These websites often make searching simpler, as they are not limited by geographic location, and search engines on these sites may help when starting a search for a specific or multiple records. To begin using such a search engine on a third-party or government website, interested parties usually must provide:

• The name of the person involved in the record, unless said person is a juvenile
• The location or assumed location of the record or person involved. This includes information such as the city, county, or state that person resides in or was accused in.

Third-party sites are independent from government sources, and are not sponsored by these government agencies. Because of this, record availability on third-party sites may vary.

How to Look Up Jail Records in Maryland

In Maryland, the local law enforcement agency is responsible for the operation and management of the jail facilities within its jurisdiction. Generally, Maryland counties and cities have a Sheriff’s Office that serves as the law enforcement agency and is in charge of the county/city jails.

The Sheriff’s Office provides jail records to querying parties in Maryland. Interested individuals can visit the location of the Sheriff’s Office and request desired jail records in-person or make use of any electronic platform provided by the office. Inquirers can visit the Sheriff’s Office site to check if they provide a search tool that jail records can be accessed with.

Additionally, querying parties can also obtain criminal information in jail records via the Background Check services provided by the DPSCS.

Can Jail Records be Expunged in Maryland?

Individuals can request the court to expunge their jail records in Maryland if it meets certain criteria. The expungement process will make such information unavailable to anyone seeking to inspect or copy them.

Under the Maryland criminal procedure statutes, the court can expunge records of persons who were apprehended and charged with a criminal offense but no conviction occurred. Such persons can file for expungement after a three-year period from the incident.

Some felony convictions that are eligible for expungement in Maryland include burglary, theft, and possessing controlled substances for distribution. However, offenders can only file for expungement fifteen years after the completion of their sentence.

Many misdemeanor convictions are also eligible for expungement. Typically, persons with such convictions can file for expungement after ten years have passed since they completed the sentence. The Maryland Judiciary provides a full list of expungeable crimes under the state laws. Inquirers can also learn more about the expungement process through the judiciary’s Information About Removing Criminal Records from Public Access in Maryland brochure.