Maryland prisons are ‘dangerously’ understaffed, union says

By LEA SKENE
Associated Press

BALTIMORE (AP) — Maryland correctional officers say a severe staffing shortage is creating dangerous conditions for both prisoners and guards in state-run facilities. A report released Thursday by the union representing the officers in Maryland’s 19 state-run corrections facilities calls on the Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services to hire over 3,400 more correctional officers, saying the agency is operating “at an all-time low.” Union leaders say they’re hopeful Maryland’s newly elected Gov. Wes Moore will take steps to address the problem. The report was produced under a Maryland law passed in 2017 that requires a staffing analysis of state-run correctional facilities every two years.