GOVERNOR HOGAN: Well, good morning, everybody. Thank you very much, Secretary Green, and I want to first of all say thank you to all of the correctional professionals and other distinguished guests that are joining us here today as we take another important step in the revitalization of Baltimore City and complete the demolition of the decaying buildings at the Baltimore City Correctional Complex. It’s just amazing to see the progress from the last time I was here when we tore down that first wall.
It was almost exactly six years ago when I stood here to announce that we were going to immediately shut down the antiquated and notoriously unsafe Baltimore City Men’s Detention Center, which had the unfortunate distinction of being one of the worst prison facilities in America. The roof was crumbling and the facility had serious flooding and sewage issues, and individuals who hadn’t yet been convicted of a crime were forced to live in these inhumane conditions. Corruption was running rampant, with gang members essentially given free rein to run the facility.
Leaders of the legislature said it would take ten years to close the facility, but I pledged to take action immediately, and that’s exactly what we did. We shut down the jail in just a few weeks.
And then, as Secretary Green said, in October of 2019, I was here with them as we tore down the first wall to begin the process. Now as demolition comes to a close, we are bringing to an end the long checkered history of the former jail, and we’re making way for the transformative facility that will be built in its place. Once complete, the new Therapeutic Detention Center here will provide mental health, substance abuse treatment, and reentry programming and planning for up to 1400 men and women. This facility will be an important and very much needed resource in our ongoing fight against heroin and opioid addiction, and what was once a source of embarrassment for the City and our State will instead become a beacon of hope for those struggling with addiction get the help that they need, to heal, to recover, and to turn their lives around.
I want to thank Secretary Green once again for his commitment to getting this done. I want to thank former Secretary Steve Moyer, who came up with the plan to close down this jail, and the entire team at the Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services, the contractors, and everyone who has been involved in helping us reach this very important milestone. Thank you.
(Applause.)
(End of transcript).
It was almost exactly six years ago when I stood here to announce that we were going to immediately shut down the antiquated and notoriously unsafe Baltimore City Men’s Detention Center, which had the unfortunate distinction of being one of the worst prison facilities in America. The roof was crumbling and the facility had serious flooding and sewage issues, and individuals who hadn’t yet been convicted of a crime were forced to live in these inhumane conditions. Corruption was running rampant, with gang members essentially given free rein to run the facility.
Leaders of the legislature said it would take ten years to close the facility, but I pledged to take action immediately, and that’s exactly what we did. We shut down the jail in just a few weeks.
And then, as Secretary Green said, in October of 2019, I was here with them as we tore down the first wall to begin the process. Now as demolition comes to a close, we are bringing to an end the long checkered history of the former jail, and we’re making way for the transformative facility that will be built in its place. Once complete, the new Therapeutic Detention Center here will provide mental health, substance abuse treatment, and reentry programming and planning for up to 1400 men and women. This facility will be an important and very much needed resource in our ongoing fight against heroin and opioid addiction, and what was once a source of embarrassment for the City and our State will instead become a beacon of hope for those struggling with addiction get the help that they need, to heal, to recover, and to turn their lives around.
I want to thank Secretary Green once again for his commitment to getting this done. I want to thank former Secretary Steve Moyer, who came up with the plan to close down this jail, and the entire team at the Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services, the contractors, and everyone who has been involved in helping us reach this very important milestone. Thank you.
(Applause.)
(End of transcript).