Maryland House of Correction

The Maryland House of Correction was the second prison established by the state. Authorized by the Laws of 1874, ch. 233, it opened in January 1879. A medium-security facility, it was designed to house convicts sentenced to less than three years' imprisonment. The sentence restriction was lowered to one year by the Laws of 1884, ch. 513, but was restored to three years by the Laws of 1910, ch. 739. Annual reports from 1900 to 1903, however, reveal that some inmates of the House of Correction were serving sentences ranging to ten years. In addition to those imprisoned for criminal offenses, the initiating legislation permitted Justices of the Peace to commit "any vagrant, habitually disorderly person (not insane) or habitual drunkard" the the House of Correction for up to six months.

The House of Correction was designed to hold both male and female prisoners. In 1921, all the female inmates of the Maryland Penitentiary were transferred to the House of Correction, and it then served as the state's primary prison for females. In 1940, all 83 female inmates at the House of Correction were transferred to the new Women's Prison, which opened in October of that year.

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