St. Mary's Jail Plan Rankles Residents

Many Disapprove Of Larger Facility

Since it opened in 1989, the St. Mary's County jail has housed more inmates than it was designed to, and it has become one of the most crowded jails in Maryland.

But with a planned expansion looming, Leonardtown residents who live near the facility say they don't want it to get bigger. And the mayor says that a larger jail would use more of the town's water and sewer services.

During a meeting this month, St. Mary's Sheriff Timothy K. Cameron (R) and others said that the expansion, in the works since 2002, is needed to provide safe and humane housing for inmates.

"We really should have expanded this facility by now, as a community," County Administrator John W. Savich said. "It's overcrowded. We should have dealt with this sooner."

The jail has an official capacity of 245, but on most days it houses more than 350 inmates, Cameron said. Cells meant to hold one now hold as many as three, and correctional officers have to reshuffle inmates when new ones arrive.

Reflecting a national trend, the county has had an increase in the number of women and offenders younger than 18 who commit violent crimes, but the jail does not have separate housing for them.

A three-phase expansion, designed to keep the jail under capacity until 2025, would increase the number of beds to more than 500. The renovation would also add a minimum-security area, kitchen, warehouse, training areas, classrooms, a central booking area and a women's wing. The project would cost $36 million, most of which would be paid for by the county.

Cameron said that expanding the jail would be cheaper than building a facility that would have many of the same features.

Several Leonardtown residents at the recent meeting said that they understood the need for a larger jail but that they think it would be better to build it outside the town. Several recounted an incident in which an inmate escaped from a work-release program, sparking a manhunt in their back yards.

"I question the validity of putting a jail in the middle of a town where there are seven schools -- three parochial, four public -- [and] a community college," said Joan Ritchie, former president of the Singletree neighborhood association.

Leonardtown Mayor J. Harry "Chip" Norris III said he worries that the jail could be expanded until it becomes the size of a state prison. "I think the people in town need a commitment that if you do expand, it will be the last expansion," he said.

Cameron said that land constraints would prevent future expansions. Responding to concerns about safety, he said that the closest neighborhood is buffered from the jail by dense forest.

County jails typically house people awaiting trial who couldn't make bail, those with sentences of less than 18 months for misdemeanor crimes, and federal detainees, such as illegal immigrants awaiting deportation.

Southern Maryland sheriffs and other officials plan to meet Monday to discuss building a regional facility for all three counties in the region. "Pretty much all of us are in the same situation," Cameron said.

The Charles County jail is under capacity, but jails in Prince George's and Calvert counties are operating well above capacity.

The Calvert jail, in Prince Frederick, which was designed to hold 172 people and up to 270 when bunks are temporarily added, usually houses about 300. The county is in the initial stages of a capital project to expand the facility.

The Prince George's County jail in Upper Marlboro plans to break ground this month for two housing units that would hold 192 inmates. The project is estimated to cost $12 million to $14 million.