ANNAPOLIS, MD — Governor Wes Moore today announced plans to close the Maryland Correctional Institution at Jessup, known as MCI-J, located in Anne Arundel County. The decision to close the facility by June 30, 2026 will enable roughly $21 million per year in operational cost savings for Maryland taxpayers, in addition to helping the Maryland Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services expand access to programming in education, vocational training, and re-entry services for incarcerated individuals.
“MCI-J has long outrun its facility lifespan and we refuse to kick the can further down the road,”
said Gov. Moore. “Our plan to close this facility will save taxpayers money, ease strain on our hardworking and dedicated correctional staff, and honor the state’s commitment to meeting every Marylander with humanity, including incarcerated individuals.”
Open since 1981, MCI-J is a medium security corrections facility. Historically established as an annex to the now-demolished Maryland House of Correction, the facility houses 709 individuals and is authorized for 308 budgeted staff positions.
Over the years, prolonged underinvestment in routine and preventive maintenance have contributed to building and infrastructure degradation across the facility. In addition to foundation issues, several housing units have been closed due to drainage concerns; the physical plant is in need of extensive repairs—to include drainage restoration, re-grading, and asphalt patching; and a Department of General Services assessment concluded that facility plumbing, electrical systems and roofing are past life cycle expectancy. In total, capital improvements would cost roughly $200 million and would take years to implement.
“After careful evaluation, the decision to close MCI-J is a fiscally responsible step forward for our state,”
said Maryland Department of General Services Secretary Atif Chaudhry. “By closing MCI-J, we're saving Maryland taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars in avoidable costs over the long term and refocusing our resources on more sustainable correctional solutions.”
In the coming months, the department will work in partnership with AFSCME to transition all staff to alternate facilities, including the Maryland Correctional Institution for Women and the Dorsey Run Correctional Facility—both also located in Jessup. The move will not only help improve staffing but will also reduce the need for mandatory overtime in each facility.
“Adequate staff is proactive security,”
said Maryland Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services Secretary Carolyn J. Scruggs. “By shifting staff to surrounding facilities, we will not only provide coverage needed to deter incidents and make our facilities safer, but we can minimize the costly, constant and exhausting cycle of mandatory overtime, improve morale and reduce burnout.”
The department will also work to transfer the incarcerated population at MCI-J in phases, beginning with aging incarcerated individuals who are serving life sentences and incarcerated individuals with a need for Americans with Disabilities Act-guided housing needs. Over a period of several months, the facility’s entire population will be relocated to appropriate facilities across the state—including the Maryland Correctional Institution at Hagerstown, the Roxbury Correctional Institution, and the North Branch Correctional Institution—depending on incarcerated individuals’ security needs.
Programming once housed at MCI-J will also be transferred to other facilities, expanding access to services like Adult Basic Education; high school diploma equivalency; special education; vocational trade programs; job readiness; work release; public safety works; apprenticeship programs, and post secondary education from the University of Baltimore, Georgetown University, Goucher College, Bowie State College and Wor-Wic Community College.
Following its official closure, MCI-J will be shuttered and winterized at an estimated cost of $1.5 million as the State of Maryland continues to evaluate paths for its future.
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