ally The daily number of inmates averages over
3,000 The Center is a pretnal detention facility for
any person committed or transferred to the custody
of the Commissioner of Pretnal Detention and
Services The Center, as authorized by the Secre
tary of Public Safety and Correctional Services, 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
Pretnal Detention and Services with the approval of
the Secretary ofPubhc Safety and Correctional Services
(Code 1957, Art 41, sees 4 1407 through 4 1414)

CENTRAL BOOKING & INTAKE FACILITY
Alfred I Murphy, Warden

300 East Madison St
Baltimore, MD 21202 (410) 545 8100

The Central Booking and Intake Facility opened
m July 1995 in Baltimore City All adults arrested in
Baltimore City are processed or "booked" at the
Facility Previously, suspects were booked at district
police stations around the City The Facility includes
Pretnal Release Services, the District Court Commis
sioners for Baltimore City, the Office of State's Attor-
ney for Baltimore City, and Baltimore City Police
Services (Code 1957, Art 41, sec 4 1414)
The Facility uses the Automated Booking System,
designed to become a statewide criminal justice mfor
manon network Currently, six counties and the Facil-
ity are part of the System With uniform data entries,
the System quickly identifies a detainee, and any pre
vious criminal history or outstanding arrest warrants
The booking process begins with a bar-coded
bracelet assigned to the detainee for tracking pur
poses Then, the detainee's personal, descriptive and
demographic information is entered into the System
Biometnc identification is done by laser scan digitized
fingerprinting and digitized video photos, which can
be transmitted electronically for quick comparison
Meanwhile, the arresting officer enters data mto the
System about the arrest and charges This report goes
to an on site Distnct Court Commissioner who con-
ducts an initial hearing to determine probable cause,
set bad, and assign a trial date After identification, the
detainee is interviewed by a pretnal investigator Book
mg 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 Facil
ity For intake, the detainee is issued a new bar code
with a Maryland identification number and photo
graph, and undergoes a video bail review by ajudge,
eliminating the need to transport suspects to Dis-
trict Court The efficiency of the process is intended
to reduce the number of people jailed before trial
and save the costs of housing defendants

PRETRIAL RELEASE SERVICES
John R Camou, Director
Robert S Weisengoff, Deputy Director

Mitchell Courthouse, Room 508
100 North Calvert St
Baltimore, MD 21202 (410) 333 3833

Formerly under the Circuit Court for Baltimore
City, the Pretnal Release Services Division became
a unit of the Division of Parole and Probation in
1985 (Chapter 725, Acts of 1985) In 1988, the
Pretnal 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 was reorganized as a
program within the Division of Pretnal Detention
and Services m 1991 (Chapter 59, Acts of 1991)

Pretnal Release Services investigates all defendants
awaiting tnal in criminal proceedings before the Bal
nmore City Circuit Court and the Distnct Court of
Maryland for Baltimore City The Program then pro
vides the courts with verified information regarding
the defendant's ties to the community and special
problems such as alcoholism, drug addiction, or resi
dential placement needs The Program also makes
recommendations to the courts regarding pretnal
release or detention of defendants awaiting tnal

Of some 51,978 defendants screened annually,
the Program supervises and monitors approxi-
mately 19,000 defendants for whom the court
orders pretnal 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 pretnal 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 dis
putcs 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 pretnal detention in the Baltimore
City Detention Center To reduce overcrowding,
the Program recommends options to the court,
such as scheduling early trials, monitors writs, de-
tainers, and violations of court orders, and further
investigates the feasibility of recognizance or re
duced bail for some defendants

The Director and Deputy Director are ap
pointed by the Commissioner of Pretnal Detention
and Services with the approval of the Secretary of
Public Safety and Correctional Services (Code
1957, Art 41, sees 4-1401 through 4 1406)