By Ian Duncan
The Baltimore Sun
BALTIMORE, Md. — A state legislative commission endorsed a half-billion dollar plan on Wednesday to knock down the troubled Baltimore jail and rebuild it, lending new weight to a longstanding idea that languished for years as the Civil War-era facility continued to age.
The panel of state senators and delegates, convened in the wake of an FBI investigation into widespread smuggling and corruption at the jail, said in a report that the facility’s outdated design makes it difficult to manage and allows contraband to flow unchecked.
“The best resolution to these issues is the demolition and replacement of the old, inadequate structures,” they concluded.
The document, which the lawmakers approved Wednesday, also includes plans to make it easier to suspend officers who are suspected of smuggling, to standardize security procedures and expand employee training.
While the building program is the most eye-catching proposal set out by the commission, it also recommended several shorter-term — and much cheaper — fixes.
Full story: Lawmakers call for replacement of Baltimore jail