Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Corrections Reentry topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Detention director warns of contract, MAT and state hospital delays; highlights PREA, apprenticeship and reentry progress
Summary
Department of Detention Facilities leaders reported PREA and state accreditation successes, an apprenticeship program and expansion of local reentry work — while warning an FCC ruling and state underfunding of medication‑assisted treatment could cost the county hundreds of thousands of dollars next year.
Anne Arundel County’s detention leadership told the council on May 13 that the county jail system achieved accreditation milestones and expanded reentry and apprenticeship programs, but also faces contract and state‑funding risks that could shift costs to the county.
Superintendent Christopher Klein reported that both major detention facilities have earned or are in the process of receiving full accreditation from the Maryland Commission on Correctional Standards and the Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA) accreditation. He said those credentials reflect investments in operations and compliance and are part of an effort to modernize correctional practice and reduce in‑facility victimization.
Klein said the department also launched an apprenticeship pathway for detention officers — the county’s first correctional apprenticeship program — and described initial success returning a small number of individuals from Maryland Department of Corrections custody to local reentry programs. He framed the reentry hub at Ordnance Road as a strategic investment to reduce recidivism and expand on‑ramp services.
The department raised three fiscal risks: (1) a recent Federal Communications Commission ruling affecting commissary, phone and tablet contracts could reduce site‑commission revenue used to fund offender services; Klein estimated a potential loss of roughly $700,000 in the coming year unless contract models are revised or rebid; (2) state law requires that the state fund medication‑assisted treatment (MAT) for court‑ordered detainees, but Klein said Maryland has not fully funded the program and the county currently absorbs $500,000–$1,000,000 annually to operate MAT locally; and (3) the Maryland Department of Health, Klein said, has sometimes delayed receiving court‑ordered in‑patient transfers under section 3‑106, leaving detainees in county custody longer and requiring the county to absorb associated medical and housing costs.
Klein said the department is applying for grants (it recently received roughly $111,000) and prioritizing repairs and infrastructure through the capital request; he also described operating budget increases largely driven by medical and food costs for the facilities. The council asked for more detail on the contract changes and expected revenue impact; Klein and budget staff agreed to follow up with documentation and, where possible, alternatives to preserve inmate program funding.
Why this matters: PREA and state accreditation signal compliance with correctional standards, but the detention director’s warning about an FCC decision and state funding gaps shows how outside policy choices can shift costs to county budgets and directly affect services such as MAT, law‑library access and in‑cell communications.
Klein said the department will continue to press state partners to follow statutory obligations for court‑ordered hospitalizations and to pursue alternative contracting or rebidding strategies to maintain revenue currently used for prisoner programs.
