Maryland Women's Pre-Release Center

"Pre-release" is the lowest possible security level, assigned to individuals with good behavior and who present the least risk of violence or escape.

Individuals on pre-release status can participate in work-release, meaning they can start working in jobs that are based outside the facility. With a separate facility, folks can access community resources, comprehensive re-entry planning assistance, and reconnect with their family and loved ones in a less restrictive and safe environment.

Absolutely yes! There are currently over 150 women with pre-release or minimum security status that are housed at MCI-W [Maryland Correctional Institute for Women]. These women consistently express fear for their safety, as they are co-housed with women on maximum security status that would likely assault them to deter their exit, as the inmate assault rate at MCI-W is 1 in 16, as opposed to 1 in 25 at the men's separate pre-release facilities.

In 2009, the only pre-release facility for women was shut down as a cost containment action. According to a 2018 Maryland Department of Corrections Annual Report, the per-capita cost for housing a woman at MCI-W is over $13,000 more per year than the cost of housing a man at a pre-release facility.

Maryland's incarcerated women serve an average of 4 years to a man's 6.8 years, they are 2x as likely to be incarcerated for a non-violent conviction, 75% of women are primary caretakers of children, and women are 3x more likely than men to head a single parent household. By building a separate pre-release center, we support our women in returning home as best prepared as possible, not just for themselves but for their families that depend on their strength and support.

Maryland's incarcerated women serve an average of 4 years to a man's 6.8 years, they are 2x as likely to be incarcerated for a non-violent conviction, 75% of women are primary caretakers of children, and women are 3x more likely than men to head a single parent household. By building a separate pre-release center, we support our women in returning home as best prepared as possible, not just for themselves but for their families that depend on their strength and support. The Taskforce on Re-Entry's 2011 report emphasized the importance of supporting individuals in creating a comprehensive reentry plan and relocating them to a separate facility several months prior to their release "where they would be closer to family and community resources that can provide them with important assistance."

Senator Mary Washington, Delegate Charlotte Crutchfield, and over 70 members of the general assembly have sponsored two bills cross-filed in the Maryland Senate and House of Delegates: ​ SB821/HB710 refines the definition of a pre-release unit to specify that it's a separate structure with security features tailored to incarcerated individuals who present the least risk of violence and escape & have a satisfactory behavioral record. ​ SB419/HB715 requires instead of "authorizes" the Commissioner of Correction to operate a pre-release unit for women.