jails and prisons

Dozens stood singing Sunday in the shadow of the Baltimore City Detention Center, its stone walls and barbed wire fence representing a system they said had oppressed them for too long.

Why the higher-ups at the Baltimore City jail got a pass

A former Baltimore corrections officer who had a child with a gang leader inmate was sentenced to two years in federal prison Friday, while a man who helped facilitate drug smuggling between inmates and corrections officers was hit with a 10-year sentence.

A K-9 officer at the Baltimore city jail who pleaded guilty to being part of the Black Guerrilla Family conspiracy — and who had to be brought back from a tour of duty in Afghanistan to face charges — was sentenced to 20 months in jail on Friday afternoon.

Areas of Harford County that lie south of I-95 have the most residents serving in state prisons, according to a study released earlier this week.

Maryland taxpayers are spending $288 million to incarcerate people from Baltimore, including nearly $47 million in West Baltimore alone, according to a new report that argues that the money would be better invested in the community.

Tavon White, described by authorities as a calculating gang leader who essentially took over the Baltimore jail to smuggle drugs in cahoots with corrections officers, drew compliments from a federal judge and prosecutor at his sentencing Monday.

It has been almost two years since federal authorities unveiled charges at the Baltimore Detention Center, drawing international attention amid revelations that Black Guerrilla Family leader Tavon White had impregnated four corrections officers who were supposed to be guarding him. But officials say that even with 40 guilty verdicts, including two dozen against corrections workers, there is more work to be done.

After more than two months of testimony, the federal trial of eight defendants in the Baltimore City Detention Center corruption case is expected to be presented to the jury for deliberations as soon as Wednesday.

As the state grapples with what many have called an epidemic of heroin abuse, a growing number of correctional facilities are treating addicted inmates with medication in an effort to prevent fatal overdoses..

Sheriff Jim DeWees plans to treat deputies who work in the Carroll County Detention Center more like deputies patrolling the roads, and began taking steps to do that by asking legislators to extend correctional deputies the same rights when a complaint is filed against them.

A veteran law enforcement officer and Harford County native has been named Maryland's newest secretary of public safety and correctional services, Gov.-elect Larry Hogan announced Tuesday.

A Baltimore County jury on Friday convicted the man known as Baltimore's "Public Enemy No. 1" in a fatal 2012 shooting outside a Parkville bar.

BGF leader White quickly turned informant, testimony shows

Tavon White has "napalmed" his BGF ties, attorney says

The way Tavon White describes it, being sent to the Baltimore City Detention Center was no reason for Black Guerrilla Family gang members to stop hustling.

The former leader of the Black Guerrilla Family at the Baltimore Detention Center took the stand against a group of alleged co-conspirators Monday, naming names of other gang leaders, laying out some of the gang's policies, and detailing his rise to power.

Prosecutors on Monday announced new indictments of Baltimore jail staff, the same day a top corrections official testified in the federal corruption trial of eight inmates and corrections officers about the difficulty containing misconduct in the system.

A new team was formed in Carroll County Friday afternoon designed to be first responders when a member of the community experiences a mental health emergency.

The Black Guerrilla Family gang leader who pleaded guilty to running a corruption enterprise at Baltimore's jail will be the government's star witness against the eight remaining co-defendants, whose trial began with opening arguments Wednesday.

A Westminster man was placed on probation Tuesday for assaulting an employee of the Carroll County Detention Center.

The trial of the eight remaining defendants charged in a case that alleged widespread corruption between inmates at the Baltimore City Detention Center and corrections officers is slated to begin Monday with jury selection in U.S. District Court.

Leaders across the political spectrum can agree: We spend too much on prisons with nothing to show for it.

Maryland's recent state-wide rise in overdose deaths appears to be driven by two factors: changes in the availability of prescription opioids and a decreasing price for heroin.

Harford County Sheriff Jesse Bane is fighting for his third term as the county's top law enforcement officer, but he will have to defeat a familiar face in order to secure that third term.

Walmart has long been in the business of serving low-income customers with discount goods and now plans to enter a new frontier – checking accounts targeted at those who have been blacklisted by traditional banks.

A fugitive who was mistakenly released from a Baltimore detention center while awaiting trial for murder last week was caught Thursday, police said.

Larry Hogan admits to errors in his plans to cut state spending, but Anthony Brown's proposals for savings are flawed, too

There's no excuse for the paperwork error that gave a get out of jail free pass to an accused murderer

Peter Sutro Waine, convicted of murdering a Harford County couple nearly 40 years ago, will remain incarcerated while he waits for his new trial for the murders.

A murder suspect who was erroneously released from a Baltimore jail — without being noticed for two days — remained at large Tuesday, and one lawmaker is calling for an independent investigation of the circumstances.

A Baltimore man awaiting trial for murder was mistakenly released from a city detention facility on Friday — an error that was not realized for two days, according to corrections officials. He remained at large Monday night.

The issue of overcrowding at the Carroll County Detention Center was addressed at the Board of County Commissioners during their meeting Thursday, as well as a possible temporary solution.

A lawyer for a corrections officer accused in the Black Guerrilla Family jail plot wants to take federal jurors on a walking tour of the Baltimore City Detention Center so they can see for themselves the conditions officers worked in.

The Harford County Sheriff's Office and Maryland State Police report

Joy remembers the day that risking a few dollars for fun turned into a rush she couldn't control.

A Hampstead man entered a plea agreement for sexual abuse of a minor Tuesday and will be sentenced in January after he submits to mental health evaluations as ordered by the court.

Six more corrections officers who helped the Black Guerilla Family gang operate a drug-smuggling and racketeering enterprise from inside the Baltimore City Detention Center have pleaded guilty or received sentencing in the last two weeks, continuing a trend of guilty pleas in the sweeping federal crackdown at the jail.

A Pennsylvania man who choked his ex-girlfriend outside of her home in 2013 entered a plea agreement Monday for attempted second-degree murder.

A Manchester man who was incarcerated for a 1996 fatal alcohol-related crash will return to prison for a January crash where his blood alcohol level was .24.

A judge will have to decide whether to allow the prosecution to seek life in prison without parole and if a psychologist's evaluation should be excluded from evidence in the case of a Mount Airy man charged with the 2013 murder of his father.

Hearing scheduled to run through the rest of the week

A ruling by a federal judge in a lawsuit filed by federal employees over the government shutdown last fall has given the workers hope that they could soon be eligible for a payout.