Editor’s Note: This is a bill that will be submitted to the Maryland Legislature within in the next two weeks.  It is a draft of the bill.  The final draft may differ in some small ways from what is below. 

Corrections – Restrictive Housing Tracking 

SECTION 1. BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF MARYLAND, That: 

A. DEFINITIONS

In this section the following words have the meanings indicated

(1)  “Correctional facility” means a facility operated by or under contract with the Maryland Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services;

(2)  “Prisoner” means someone confined to a facility operated by or under contract with the Maryland Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services.

(3)  “Restrictive Housing” means is the practice of housing an individual separately from the general population of a correctional facility and imposing restrictions on their movement, behavior, and privileges. 

B. The Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services shall annually submit to the Governor’s office of Crime Control and Prevention and post publicly on its website a report documenting the use of restrictive housing in its facilities, disaggregated by facility.  The report shall include: 

(1)  The total facility population;

(2)  The number of individuals held in restrictive housing, by age, race, and ethnicity;

(3)  The number of persons with serious mental illness held in restrictive housing;

(4)  The definition of serious mental illness used by the Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services;

(5)  The number of prisoners known to be pregnant who were held in restrictive housing;

(6)  The average and median lengths of stay in restrictive housing;

(7)  The reasons for which individuals were placed in restrictive housing;

(8)  The number of incidents of death, self-harm, and attempts at self-harm by individuals held in restrictive housing;

(9)  The number of individuals released from restrictive housing directly to the community;

(10) Any additional information that is important to understanding the facility’s use of restrictive housing; and

(11) Any changes to the Department of Public Safety and Correctional Service’s policies regarding the use of restrictive housing. 

SECTION 2. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That this Act shall take effect October 1, 2016