612                               Laws of Maryland                      [Ch. 181

ployment, participate in a training or rehabilitation program, or at-
tend educational institutions in the county, while serving the term
of his sentence; provided, however, that such prescription shall in
no event lengthen or shorten the term of the sentence.

(b) Establishment of work release program. The Prince George's
County Commissioners shall establish a "work release" program under
which persons sentenced to imprisonment in a county jail or detention
center within Prince George's County, or such other similar institu-
tion under the jurisdiction of the county, by a judge [of the Circuit
Court for Prince George's County or the People's Court of Prince
George's County], may be granted the privileges of leaving actual
confinement during necessary and reasonable hours for the purpose
of working at gainful private employment. Such program may also in-
clude, under appropriate conditions, release for the purpose of seek-
ing such employment. Whenever the prisoner is not employed, or
otherwise participating in his work release program, he shall be con-
fined in the county jail or detention center unless the committing
court shall otherwise direct.

§ 690. Sentence to jurisdiction of Department; transfers.

(a) Judges to which section applicable.—The provisions of this sec-
tion are applicable to any judge of the circuit court for any county,
the judges of the [c]Criminal [c]Court[s] of Baltimore [City] and
[.] any [trial magistrate, people's court] judge [or municipal court
judge] of the District Court, exercising criminal jurisdiction, and
all of such persons are described herein as "judge."

§ 705. Establishment and maintenance; sentencing to center.

F. Sentencing to regional detention center.—Notwithstanding any
other provisions of the Annotated Code of Maryland a judge of the
Criminal Court of Baltimore [City], the circuit court [of] for
any county, [the Municipal Court of Baltimore City, the people's
court of any county] or any [magistrate] judge of the District Court,
may sentence a convicted offender to a regional detention center; pro-
vided the sentence imposed is for a period of not more than 18
months; and provided further that the court imposing the sentence
be located within a jurisdiction which is a party to the operation and
maintenance of the facility to which the person is sentenced.

§ 714. Escaping or attempting to escape.

Any convict escaping or attempting to escape shall on conviction
before [a justice of the peace] the District Court or before the circuit
court [of] for the county in which the offense was committed or be-
fore the Criminal Court of Baltimore [City], be adjudged guilty of a
misdemeanor and be sentenced to imprisonment in the institution to
which he had been previously sentenced for a term not less than
three months nor for more than one half of the entire term for which
he had been sentenced prior to his escape or effort to escape in the
discretion of the court.

§ 720. Certifying number of available prisoners to Governor; pro-
viso as to Frederick City.

The Governor of this State may from time to time require the Board
of Correction to certify to him the number of male prisoners confined