Maryland House of Correction
Encyclopedia
The Maryland House of Correction, nicknamed "The Cut" or "The House", was a Maryland Department of Corrections state maximum security prison in an unincorporated area
in Maryland
. Most of its territory was in Anne Arundel County
, while portions were in Howard County
. The prison opened in 1879 and was famous for the level of violence that took place inside its walls. The state closed the prison in March 2007.
The prison was situated on 800 acres (3.2 km²) south of Maryland Route 175
between U.S. 1
and the Baltimore-Washington Parkway
.
. It opened in January 1879. A medium-security facility, it was designed to house inmates sentenced to less than three years' imprisonment. Annual reports from 1900 to 1903, however, reveal that some inmates of the House of Correction were serving sentences ranging to ten years. In addition to those imprisoned for criminal offenses, the initiating legislation permitted Justices of the Peace to commit "any vagrant, habitually disorderly person (not insane) or habitual drunkard" to the House of Correction for up to six months.
The House of Correction was designed to hold both male and female prisoners. In 1921, all the female inmates of the Maryland Penitentiary were transferred to the House of Correction, and it then served as the state's primary prison for females. In 1940, all female inmates at the House of Correction were transferred to the new women's prison, which opened in October of that year. State law mandated that all inmates be employed at jobs best suited to the individual and "most profitable to the institution." Many male inmates were employed by commercial contractors making bottles, brooms, and clothing. Others worked in the laundry. As a result of penal reform measures, however, the commercial use of contractual convict labor was reduced following World War I
. Thereafter, some prisoners worked under Maryland's State Use System (e.g., on road crews, as printers of state documents, and making license plates).
Beginning in the 1920s, the institution reported large profits from its farming and canning operations. Although many prisoners were still employed by commercial contractors for several years after the State Use System began in 1922, all contract labor at the House of Correction was eliminated by 1937.
Since its inception, the House of Correction has been administered by several boards and/or agencies. Until 1916 it functioned as an independent agency governed by a Board of Managers. The original board was composed of twelve members appointed by the governor with the governor, comptroller, state treasurer, and attorney general as ex-officio members. The governor was elected board president, and played a significant role in the direction of the House of Correction thereafter.
The board exercised complete control over the institution, administering all financial and personnel matters. Its first action was overseeing the completion of the new facility. Once completed (December 1878), however, a superintendent (i.e., warden) was responsible for the prison's daily operation. The board, meanwhile, divided its responsibilities among several committees and met only once a month. As a result of progressive reform, the Board of Managers was abolished and the Board of Prison Control assumed authority over the House of Correction.
Management changed again just six years later when, under the State Government Reorganization Act, the House of Correction fell under the purview of the Board of Welfare. In 1939, the Board of Correction within the newly created Department of Correction assumed supervision of the state penal system. Beginning in 1953, the Superintendent of Prisons administered the Department, but was replaced by the Commissioner of Correction nine years later. The Department of Correction was renamed the Department of Correctional Services in 1968. Two years later it was subsumed under the new Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services. At that time, the Department of Correctional Services was reorganized as the Division of Correction, which maintained authority over the Maryland House of Correction until its closing in 2007.
, MD. He was killed by an inmate while watching him at the nearby Washington County Hospital. His death was the first death of a CO in the line of duty in 20 years in Maryland.
Unincorporated area
In law, an unincorporated area is a region of land that is not a part of any municipality.To "incorporate" in this context means to form a municipal corporation, a city, town, or village with its own government. An unincorporated community is usually not subject to or taxed by a municipal government...
in Maryland
Maryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
. Most of its territory was in Anne Arundel County
Anne Arundel County, Maryland
Anne Arundel County is a county located in the U.S. state of Maryland. It is named for Anne Arundell , a member of the ancient family of Arundells in Cornwall, England and the wife of Cæcilius Calvert, 2nd Baron Baltimore. Its county seat is Annapolis, which is also the capital of the state...
, while portions were in Howard County
Howard County, Maryland
-2010:Whereas according to the 2010 U.S. Census Bureau:*62.2% White*17.5% Black*0.3% Native American*14.4% Asian*0.0% Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander*3.6% Two or more races*2.0% Other races*5.8% Hispanic or Latino -2000:...
. The prison opened in 1879 and was famous for the level of violence that took place inside its walls. The state closed the prison in March 2007.
The prison was situated on 800 acres (3.2 km²) south of Maryland Route 175
Maryland Route 175
-Annapolis Road:MD 175 begins at MD 3, just south of the latter's northern terminus at Interstate 97, known as Annapolis Road. It runs west as a two-lane suburban highway, passing through local neighborhoods and south of Arundel High School before widening into a four-lane suburban arterial south...
between U.S. 1
U.S. Route 1 in Maryland
U.S. Route 1 is the easternmost and longest of the major north–south routes of the United States Numbered Highway System, running from Key West, Florida to Fort Kent, Maine. In the U.S...
and the Baltimore-Washington Parkway
Baltimore-Washington Parkway
The Baltimore–Washington Parkway is a highway in the U.S. state of Maryland, running southwest from Baltimore to Washington, D.C. The road begins at an interchange with U.S. Route 50 and Maryland Route 201 near Cheverly in Prince George's County at the D.C...
.
History
The Maryland House of Correction was the second prison established by the State of MarylandMaryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
. It opened in January 1879. A medium-security facility, it was designed to house inmates sentenced to less than three years' imprisonment. Annual reports from 1900 to 1903, however, reveal that some inmates of the House of Correction were serving sentences ranging to ten years. In addition to those imprisoned for criminal offenses, the initiating legislation permitted Justices of the Peace to commit "any vagrant, habitually disorderly person (not insane) or habitual drunkard" to the House of Correction for up to six months.
The House of Correction was designed to hold both male and female prisoners. In 1921, all the female inmates of the Maryland Penitentiary were transferred to the House of Correction, and it then served as the state's primary prison for females. In 1940, all female inmates at the House of Correction were transferred to the new women's prison, which opened in October of that year. State law mandated that all inmates be employed at jobs best suited to the individual and "most profitable to the institution." Many male inmates were employed by commercial contractors making bottles, brooms, and clothing. Others worked in the laundry. As a result of penal reform measures, however, the commercial use of contractual convict labor was reduced following World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
. Thereafter, some prisoners worked under Maryland's State Use System (e.g., on road crews, as printers of state documents, and making license plates).
Beginning in the 1920s, the institution reported large profits from its farming and canning operations. Although many prisoners were still employed by commercial contractors for several years after the State Use System began in 1922, all contract labor at the House of Correction was eliminated by 1937.
Since its inception, the House of Correction has been administered by several boards and/or agencies. Until 1916 it functioned as an independent agency governed by a Board of Managers. The original board was composed of twelve members appointed by the governor with the governor, comptroller, state treasurer, and attorney general as ex-officio members. The governor was elected board president, and played a significant role in the direction of the House of Correction thereafter.
The board exercised complete control over the institution, administering all financial and personnel matters. Its first action was overseeing the completion of the new facility. Once completed (December 1878), however, a superintendent (i.e., warden) was responsible for the prison's daily operation. The board, meanwhile, divided its responsibilities among several committees and met only once a month. As a result of progressive reform, the Board of Managers was abolished and the Board of Prison Control assumed authority over the House of Correction.
Management changed again just six years later when, under the State Government Reorganization Act, the House of Correction fell under the purview of the Board of Welfare. In 1939, the Board of Correction within the newly created Department of Correction assumed supervision of the state penal system. Beginning in 1953, the Superintendent of Prisons administered the Department, but was replaced by the Commissioner of Correction nine years later. The Department of Correction was renamed the Department of Correctional Services in 1968. Two years later it was subsumed under the new Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services. At that time, the Department of Correctional Services was reorganized as the Division of Correction, which maintained authority over the Maryland House of Correction until its closing in 2007.
History of riots
The Maryland House of Correction had a long history of harsh living conditions for inmates and dangerous conditions for Correctional Officers. Large prison riots occurred in 1945 and 1964.Death of correctional officer
In July, 2006, a Maryland correctional officer, David Warren McGuinn, was killed in the House of Corrections. This was the second such death of a correctional officer in Maryland that year. The first was Officer Jeffery Alan Wroten, who worked at the Roxbury Correctional Institution in HagerstownHagerstown
Hagerstown is the name of two places in the United States of America:*Hagerstown, Indiana*Hagerstown, Maryland**Hagerstown Metropolitan Area...
, MD. He was killed by an inmate while watching him at the nearby Washington County Hospital. His death was the first death of a CO in the line of duty in 20 years in Maryland.
See also
- Maryland Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services
- List of law enforcement agencies in Maryland
- List of United States state correction agencies
- List of U.S. state prisons
- PrisonPrisonA prison is a place in which people are physically confined and, usually, deprived of a range of personal freedoms. Imprisonment or incarceration is a legal penalty that may be imposed by the state for the commission of a crime...