2008 06 20 - 3597 - Jessup - State Prison

The Maryland House of Correction, nicknamed "The Cut" or "The House", was a

Maryland Department of Corrections The Maryland Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services (DPSCS) is a government agency of the U.S. state, State of Maryland that performs a number of functions, including the operation of state prisons. It has its headquarters in Towson ...

state maximum security prison in an

unincorporated area An unincorporated area is a region that is not governed by a local municipal corporation. Widespread unincorporated communities and areas are a distinguishing feature of the United States and Canada. Most other countries of the world either have ...

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean to ...

. The prison opened in 1879 and became infamous for the high levels of violence that took place inside its walls. The state, under Governor

Martin O'Malley Martin Joseph O'Malley (born January 18, 1963) is an American lawyer and former politician who served as the 61st Governor of Maryland from 2007 to 2015. A member of the Democratic Party, he was Mayor of Baltimore from 1999 to 2007. O'Malley ...

, closed the prison in March 2007. The prison was situated on south of

Maryland Route 175 Maryland Route 175 is a state highway in the U.S. state of Maryland. The highway runs from Little Patuxent Parkway in Columbia east to MD 3 in Millersville. MD 175 is a major highway through the large unincorporated community of Columbia; the ...

between U.S. 1 and the

Baltimore–Washington Parkway The Baltimore–Washington Parkway (also referred to as the B–W Parkway) is a highway in the U.S. state of Maryland, running southwest from Baltimore to Washington, D.C. The road begins at an interchange with U.S. Route 50 (US 50 ...

. Most of its territory was in

Anne Arundel County Anne Arundel County (; ), also notated as AA or A.A. County, is located in the U.S. state of Maryland. As of the 2020 United States census, its population was 588,261, an increase of just under 10% since 2010. Its county seat is Annapolis, whi ...

, while portions were in Howard County.

History

The facility was built on land near the former

Spurrier's Tavern Spurrier's Tavern was a well-known tavern and horse-changing depot which stood by the main road between Baltimore and Washington, D.C. (now U.S. Route 1) from 1771 to 1835 near what is now Jessup, Maryland. George Washington visited the tavern se ...

and a hand-dug section of the B&O railroad called "Jessop's Cut". In 1897, the ''

Baltimore Sun ''The Baltimore Sun'' is the largest general-circulation daily newspaper based in the U.S. state of Maryland and provides coverage of local and regional news, events, issues, people, and industries. Founded in 1837, it is currently owned by Tr ...

'' editor petitioned for prison workers to perform road labor to relieve pressure on the overcrowded facility. The nickname "The Cut" was often used during HBO's series ''The Wire'', and during the show's second season many scenes were set at Jessup. The Maryland House of Correction had a long history of harsh living conditions for inmates and dangerous conditions for correctional officers. Large

prison riot A prison riot is an act of concerted defiance or disorder by a group of prisoners against the prison administrators, prison officers, or other groups of prisoners. Prison riots have not been the subject of many academic studies or research inqui ...

s occurred in 1945, 1964 and 1972. The prison was replaced in 2003 by

North Branch Correctional Institution North Branch Correctional Institution (NBCI) is a high-tech, maximum security prison or "hyper-max prison" operated by the Maryland Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services in Cresaptown, unincorporated Allegany County, Maryland, ...

, a supermax prison in

Cumberland, Maryland Cumberland is a U.S. city in and the county seat of Allegany County, Maryland Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its s ...

, with far greater control features and security. Demolition of the former prison began in January 2014.

Death of correctional officer

In July, 2006, a Maryland

correctional officer A prison officer or corrections officer is a uniformed law enforcement official responsible for the custody, supervision, safety, and regulation of prisoners. They are responsible for the care, custody, and control of individuals who have been ...

, David Warren McGuinn, was killed in the House of Corrections.The Officer Down Memorial Page
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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Maryland House Of Correction Buildings and structures in Anne Arundel County, Maryland Buildings and structures in Howard County, Maryland Jessup, Maryland Supermax prisons Defunct prisons in Maryland 1879 establishments in Maryland 2007 disestablishments in Maryland

History

Death of correctional officer

See also

References