Some Guards At Md. Jail Have Arrest Records

Jail officials have said in the past that they have had trouble recruiting and keeping good officers. A Post analysis found that turnover is high: Almost half the officers at the jail have been on the job for less than five years, according to the most recent data available.

County records show that the number of disturbances, emergency responses and inmate assaults have increased, along with the number of times officers have used force to subdue inmates. The jail reported that officers used force against inmates 100 times in 2006, more than double the number reported in 2003.

A 2008 report by the Maryland Commission on Correctional Standards, which audits jails and prisons across the state, was largely positive but recommended that the jail do a better job of documenting that medical care was provided after officers restrained inmates.

Auditors also recommended that the jail ensure that security equipment from the armory, which can include guns, handcuffs and riot gear, is properly logged in and out. In June, Prince George's corrections chief Alfred J. McMurray Sr. was fired when the jail could not account for four missing 9mm pistols.

After White's death late last month, jail officials announced that they will hire independent experts to study the facility's policies.

The jail should also consider changing its screening procedures for officers, said Alexander Busansky, a former federal prosecutor and director of the Washington office of the Vera Institute of Justice, a research and policy group.

Jails need to ensure "not just that we hire the right people but that we continue to check on them to make sure our trust in their performance is warranted," he said.

Staff researcher Meg Smith, database editor Dan Keating and staff writers Ruben Castaneda, Christy Goodman and Matt Zapotosky contributed to this report.