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When prisoners lose connection to their family and community, they are more likely to commit crimes after they are released. Men and women convicted of a federal crime or a DC code violation serve their sentences in a federal prison. 

Six months in, and the work has not slowed down.

As we cross the midpoint of 2026, we want to share where we've been, what we've built, and where we're headed. This year has brought real momentum (and real challenges) across Maryland, Virginia, and the District of Columbia.

Three recent developments across our region make clear that the work IAHR does is more urgent than ever.

In Maryland, new data shows that the number of inmates whose death was classified as a homicide while in a Maryland state prison reached 14 in 2025, the highest within the last decade. Researchers and advocates are pointing to a staffing crisis as a contributing factor. The number of allocated correctional officer positions across Maryland's 13 state correctional prisons has decreased by 18 percent between July 2019 and July 2025, and a union report found that all institutions operated with a ratio of more than 100 inmates to 1 officer. When staff are stretched that thin, incarcerated people bear the consequences, and those already in isolation are among the most vulnerable. The Daily Record