DIVISION OF CORRECTION

Richard A. Lanham, Sr., Commissioner
of Correction
Melanie C. Pereira, Deputy Commissioner
of Correction

6776 Reisterstown Road
Baltimore, MD 21215—2341 (410) 764-4100

The Division of Correction originated in the nine-
teenth century when the first State prisons, the Mary-
land 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). The
Board ofWelfare superseded the State Board of Prison
Control in 1922 to administer the prisons (Chapter
29, Acts of 1922). In 1939, the Department of
Correction and the Board of Correction replaced the
Board ofWelfare (Chapter 69, Acts of 1939).
The Superintendent of Prisons became adminis-
trator of the Department of Correction in 1953
(Chapter 758, Acts of 1953). The Board of Correc-
tion established departmental policies and appointed
executive personnel for institutions under the jurisdic-
tion of the Department on recommendations made
by the Superintendent of Prisons. In 1962, the Advi-
sory 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 Correc-
tional Services in 1968 (Chapter 137, Acts of 1968).
All 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 was
reorganized as the Division of Correction under the
Secretary of Public Safety and Correctional Services.
The Division of Correction plans, establishes, and
directs the administration of State correctional facili-
ties. The Division is responsible for the Maryland
Reception, Diagnostic, and Classification Center; the
Maryland Correctional Pre-Release System; State Use
Industries; and eight State prisons:

Maryland Penitentiary (Baltimore)
Roxbury Correctional Institution—Hagerstown
Maryland Correctional Institution—Hagerstown
Maryland Correctional Training Center
(Hagerstown)
Maryland House of Correction (Jessup)
Maryland Correctional Institution—Jessup
Maryland Correctional Institution for
Women—Jessup
Eastern Correctional Institution (Westover)

Western Correctional Institution, a new State
prison near Cresaptown in Allegany County, is
expected to open in July 1996.
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 1957, Art. 27, sees. 667-679).

CITIZENS' ADVISORY COMMITTEES

Citizens' Advisory Committees for correctional in-
stitutions report to the Commissioner of Correction and
the Governor about concerns of citizens residing in the
vicinity of each institution. Currently, Committees serve
the regions around Baltimore, Hagerstown, Jessup, and
Somerset County. Each Committee has seven members
appointed to three-year terms by the Governor (Code
1957, Art. 41, sees. 4-1101 through 4-1103).

INMATE PROGRAMS
Melanie C. Pereira, Deputy Commissioner
of Correction
(410) 764-4174

Inmate Programs oversees seven units: Adjust-
ment Hearings; Case Management; Commitment;
Correctional Education; Food Services; Inmate Af-
fairs; and Religious and Volunteer Services.
Under Division jurisdiction, correctional insti-
tutions classify inmates to determine how they
should be confined and supervised. Once the secu-
rity 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, employ-
ment, substance abuse counseling, and psychologi-
cal 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 in-
struction in pre-release units prepares inmates to obtain
high school equivalency certificates. Prisons and pre-re-
lease units also offer programs for inmates to develop or
releam occupational skills. Inmates are assigned to a
variety of maintenance tasks, as well as to the diversified
State Use Industries Program. 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.
The Division of Correction administers the W&rk
Release Program, established in 1963 (Chapter 285, Acts
of 1963). Under the Program, certain prisoners may
leave confinement to work at gainful employment in the
community. 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 pro-
grams. Weekend leaves also may be granted under certain
conditions (Code 1957, Art. 27, sees. 700A, 700C).