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| As Baltimore jail corruption case unfolds, cellphone-penalty legislation returns to spotlight |
| By washingtonpost.com - John Wagner |
| Published: 05/07/2013 |
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Maryland lawmakers have repeatedly killed legislation sought by corrections officials to crack down on the smuggling of cellphones into prisons, a key element of the gang culture that thrived in the Baltimore jail at the center of a broad federal indictment. Bills that would have stiffened penalties for inmates and corrupt guards have died for four years in a row in the House Judiciary Committee, the panel that was first to call for hearings after racketeering charges were announced by federal prosecutors nearly two weeks ago. In 2012, the governor of Maryland received flowers, chocolates and nearly 90 books. Cellphone-penalty legislation returns to spotlight in Maryland Cellphone-penalty legislation returns to spotlight in Maryland If the bill had passed in 2010, the situation at the Baltimore jail might not have gotten so out of hand. No one has suggested that the legislation is a panacea, but supporters say that if it had passed in 2010, when first requested by Gary D. Maynard, the state’s corrections secretary, the situation at the Baltimore City Detention Center might not have gotten so out of hand. According to the indictment, the Black Guerilla Family gang essentially took over the institution. Guards smuggled in cellphones and drugs and had sex with gang members. Read More. |
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