Maryland Governor Larry Hogan has ordered the immediate shutdown of the Baltimore City Detention Center (BCDC) men's facility due to its horrendous sanitary and living conditions.

Like Us on Facebook

Hogan, a Republican, stood in front of reporters on Thursday at the said jail to announce the closure of the what he described as an "embarrassment" to the state of Maryland. 

The men section of the BCDC has been on the spotlight many times because of its inhumane conditions. The detention center is reported to experience flooding caused by leaking roofs and ceilings. Also, prison authorities have failed to address the poor health care of inmates. 

"The Baltimore City Detention Center is a disgrace. The conditions are horrendous. The inmates are forced to live in substandard, appalling circumstances," Hogan said. He added that the prison is the worst in the United States. 

According to the governor, using the taxpayers' money to fund the centuries-old facility and keep it open doesn't make sense. Baltimore City Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake has fully supported the move.

In the US, the BCDC is the only state-run prison that falls under the jurisdiction of a city. Hogan emphasized that the jail is only a pretrial facility, which means the inmates there are not yet convicted and are still awaiting trial. 

The condition inside the crumbling infrastructure is so bad that detainees would plead guilty to be transferred to another detention facility and serve their sentence there for years rather than stay at the BCDC for months. 

The detention center houses about 750 male inmates, all of whom will be moved to other jails in the city while prison officers will be reassigned. Due to security reasons, Hogan didn't say when and where the transfer will take place. The buildings that make up the BCDC will then be demolished. 

"This transition will not negatively impact detainees' access to legal visits, and will give them a safer environment to await trial and court hearings. The BCDC Women's facility will not be affected," Hogan said in a statement. 

In 2013, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) unraveled an illegal operation inside BCDC walls run by the Black Guerilla gang. The gang reportedly "overrun" the prison and even had children with female correctional officers. 

Hogan's predecessor, democrat Governor Martin O'Malley, called the Black Guerilla scandal a positive achievement in the fight against gangs, to which the Hogan disagreed. He called the anomaly a "phony political spin on a prison culture created by an utter failure in leadership." 

Forty-four people were charged including 27 correctional officers. The felonies include drug peddling, extortion, and money laundering.

Aside from notorious criminal organizations, the health system of the facility is also miserable. This was proved in 2002 when the Justice department said that the prison has violated the inmates' constitutional rights. The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) filed a motion to provide the prisoners better medical and mental health care. 

However, the healthcare plan wasn't implemented and detainees' complained of waiting for weeks before their health concerns are addressed. The ACLU filed another motion again in February 2015. 

TagsBaltimore City Jail, Baltimore City Detention Center, Governor Larry Hogan, worst jails in the world, Baltimore riots, Larry Hogan Baltimore, baltimore city detention center visiting hours, maryland governor larry hogan republican