Project Will Be Completed Over a 10-Year Period, Will Provide Mental Health and Substance Use Treatment Services
ANNAPOLIS, MD—Governor Larry Hogan today announced Maryland Board of Public Works approval for the next step of the new Baltimore Therapeutic Treatment Center (BTTC). The board approved the contract for design services to STV Incorporated located in Baltimore, Maryland, allowing the Department of General Services (DGS) and Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services (DPSCS) to proceed with the design of the new facility.
“This is a watershed moment in the advancement of Maryland’s criminal justice system,” said Governor Hogan. “We are excited to be moving forward with a state-of-the-art treatment center in Baltimore Ceremony that will offer services and treatment for those struggling with addiction.”
The BTTC will be located in the middle of the 17-acre Baltimore City Correctional Complex on Eager Street, replacing the Baltimore City Detention Center, which was shuttered due to unsafe conditions. The demolition of the detention center was completed in August 2021.
“The Therapeutic Treatment Center will be a multidimensional facility that will include robust deflection, diversion, treatment, and reentry service in a purpose -built facility,” said DPSCS Secretary Robert Green. “The design will be rooted in a comprehensive data and trend analysis that will place Maryland and Baltimore City at the forefront of treatment of the incarcerated population. The Therapeutic Treatment Center is the perfect alignment of evidence-based services to meet the needs of those individuals who are, or otherwise may become, involved in the criminal justice system.”
The new treatment center is one of the Hogan administration’s largest capital projects, which is projected to be completed over a 10-year period, with an estimated cost of over $450 million. The specialized facility will provide mental health and substance use treatment services and care to nonviolent offenders upon entry into the criminal justice system. The construction of the new treatment center will provide approximately 325,000 gross square feet of detention housing for approximately 800 beds, for both males and females, of varying treatment classifications. To reduce project construction costs, DGS has creatively included the repurposing of the former jail industries building, approximately 145,000 gross square feet, into the complex.
“This is truly an historic day for the State of Maryland and Baltimore City,” said DGS Secretary Ellington E. Churchill, Jr. “We’re grateful to the Governor and the Board of Public Works for their continued support of this important project to break the cycle of addiction.”
The design will place significant emphasis on stabilization, treatment, care coordination, and discharge planning, with the goal of much- improved reentry outcomes. The project also includes dedicated space for a Day Reporting Center.
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