New data obtained by the News4 I-Team paints the picture of a Prince George’s County jail that is rapidly heading in the wrong direction as it depends more on lockdowns that limit recreation, visitation and movement within the jail to better control inmates and manage its low staffing.
The Prince George's County Department of Corrections confirms that it has more than 170 correctional officer positions open. The I-Team found that's more than any jail in the region. The District of Columbia has not responded to a records request.
New records obtained by the News4 I-Team from the jail show that because of that shortage, the Prince George's County jail is on lockdown on average at least one week a month – sometimes more – in order to control inmates and protect staff.
Data shows that in 2020, the Prince George's County jail went into lockdown four times, mostly due to technical issues that could impact safety. In 2021, that number jumped to 23 due to issues like cameras being down, and staffing also started becoming an issue.
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In 2022, there were 83 lockdowns due to inadequate staffing. There was also a rise of violent incidents inside of the jail. There were multiple stabbings, and one person was killed.
So far this year, the jail is on track to double last year's lockdowns. Since June, there have been more than 60, all due to staffing issues. At the beginning of this year, no visitors were allowed in for 16 days. In February, a search of inmates and their cells resulted in recovering 66 weapons; 47 inmates were charged with violations, according to the jail.
In an exclusive interview last month, several Prince George's correctional officers speaking under union protection told the I-Team that the shortages have resulted in forced overtime and fatigue for them.
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"Not every inmate is a bad person or is a violent criminal,” veteran correctional officer Stephon Blalock said. “Some are just people that just got caught making bad decisions, and they're having to serve a little time or just maybe live with us for a week or two. So why should they come in and feel like their lives are threatened and not safe simply because we're understaffed?"
Last month, staffing got so bad on one day that jail intake stopped accepting misdemeanor arrests and only processed people charged with felonies. It was limiting new inmates for more than an hour.
In a statement, the jail said the closure was due to several staff callouts and what the jail referred to as an “insurmountable” number of arrestees that needed to be detained or released. Police were asked to hold onto arrestees until the logjam at the jail cleared.
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