| 1 | FILE - In this July 30, 2015, file photo, Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan speaks at Baltimore City Detention Center in Baltimore, to announce his plan to immediately shut down the jail. |
| 2 | Maryland moved the last inmates out of the dangerously decrepit men's section of the detention center on Tuesday, Aug. 25, state officials said, completing the closure of the notorious facility. |
| 3 | FILE - In this July 30, 2015, file photo, Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan... |
| 4 | ANNAPOLIS, Md. |
| 5 | (AP) - Maryland moved the last inmates out of the dangerously decrepit men's section of the Baltimore City Detention Center on Tuesday, state officials said, completing the closure of the notorious facility. |
| 6 | The jail pre-dates modern penal facility standards, with some of its walls dating to the 19th century. |
| 7 | It has been known for its hazardous conditions, including blind corners and dark corridors. |
| 8 | It also has been the target of reform attempts for decades. |
| 9 | "The final closure of this detention center removes a stain on the reputation of our state and Maryland's correctional system," Hogan said in a statement announcing the removal of all detainees by 5 p.m. Tuesday. |
| 10 | "For years, corruption, criminal activity, and deplorable conditions have plagued this facility, but that ends today." |
| 11 | In June, the American Civil Liberties Union and Public Justice Center asked a federal judge to reopen a lawsuit against the state over what they said were conditions so substandard it brings "shame to this city." |
| 12 | Attorneys cited moldy showers and cells infested with mice and cockroaches. |
| 13 | They also said medical care was poor or nonexistent. |
| 14 | Hogan, a Republican, announced plans July 30 to close the state-run jail, where a sweeping federal indictment in 2013 exposed a sophisticated drug- and cellphone-smuggling ring involving dozens of gang members and correctional officers. |
| 15 | The investigation also exposed sexual relations between jailhouse gang leader Tavon White and female guards that left four of them pregnant. |
| 16 | Forty of the 44 defendants charged in the racketeering conspiracy were convicted, including 24 correctional officers. |
| 17 | Thirty-five defendants pleaded guilty; eight defendants went to trial and one defendant died. |
| 18 | White pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 12 years in prison. |
| 19 | Hogan said the closure would save the state $10 million to $15 million annually. |
| 20 | Soon after the announcement, officials began moving about 1,100 inmates and detainees to other Baltimore-area detention centers, keeping them in proximity to local courts. |
| 21 | Maryland lawmakers say they have yet to be informed where exactly the inmates and detainees have been moved, and they have questions about the administration's long-term plans to house the detainees and inmates. |