February 20, 2007 |
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This is Governor Martin O’Malley.
Last week Secretary of Public Safety and Corrections Gary Maynard and I visited the Maryland Correctional Training Center in Hagerstown. We met with corrections officers, wardens, and union representatives and pledged to bring responsive results-based Government to our corrections system.
It’s no secret that our Department of Corrections faces significant challenges, but with these challenges we also have a tremendous opportunity to make sure our officers have the very best training, resources and equipment to do their job safely and effectively and to make sure that we’re creating a safe environment for our officers and training programs for our inmates, who one day hope to rejoin our society.
The Fiscal Year 2008 proposed budget dedicates $1.18 billion to the Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services. The budget includes almost $7 million to support 155 new correctional officer positions Statewide, including 73 for the Hagerstown region.
And the capital budget includes $41 million to construct new buildings, improve facilities and improve inmate housing at the Maryland Correctional Training Center.