ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) — A federal judge on Tuesday approved a settlement to overhaul the health care system for jail detainees in Baltimore.
The settlement approved by U.S. District Judge Ellen Hollander includes improvements to facilities, including accommodations for people with disabilities. It requires that staff create and follow schedules for assessing, treating and monitoring detainees' physical and mental health problems.
The agreement, which calls for progress to be assessed by independent monitors, also stipulates that staff track detainees' medical records and provide essential medications without interruption.
"We are thrilled that the court approved this settlement, and the long-overdue work on improving the Baltimore jail's health care system can begin," said Debra Gardner, legal director at the Public Justice Center. "Detainees will finally be able to count on the jail to provide adequate, timely medical care instead of letting those with injuries and illnesses suffer unnecessarily."
Gov. Larry Hogan closed the dangerously decrepit men's detention center last year. Many detainees were moved into other nearby buildings on the city's correctional complex downtown. The settlement will require the state to repair and maintain buildings in the jail complex that remain open.
The settlement is between the state of Maryland, the Public Justice Center, the Law Offices of Elizabeth Alexander and the American Civil Liberties Union. The organizations moved to reopen the case against the state in June 2015, and Hogan closed the men's detention center less than two months later.
A previous 2009 settlement and court orders dating back to 1993 had failed to eliminate inhumane conditions at the detention center, the organizations contended when they reopened the case.
Hannah Marr, a Hogan spokeswoman, said the governor is pleased the matter had been resolved. "From the beginning of Governor Hogan's administration, we have been committed to addressing the longstanding problems in the Baltimore City jail and have held ongoing negotiations with the ACLU to come to a swift and reasonable agreement," Marr said in a statement.
"If the state actually carries out its responsibilities under this agreement, it will finally meet its constitutional and ethical responsibilities for the health and well-being of the people it holds," Alexander said.