Maryland Governor Proposes $42 Million for Corrections

ANNAPOLIS, Md. — Gov. Martin O’Malley has proposed more than $42 million in his fiscal year 2008 budget for projects at the Maryland Correctional Training Center in Hagerstown.

If the budget is approved, a new $32.6 million housing unit would be built at the facility and $9.8 million would be used for other upgrades. The budget would also supply an additional $6.7 million to create 155 new correctional officer positions, which would help appease concerns over staffing shortages.

The new housing unit could boost capacity by as much as 384 inmates. About 400 inmates currently live in Quonset huts that were not designed for housing inmates.

The correctional center opened in 1966 and houses about 2,700 inmates in medium-security, minimum-security and pre-release facilities. The only budget proposal that is more expensive is a $109 million physical education facility at Coppin State University in Baltimore.