Division 1A. Department of Corrections

The County is authorized and directed to provide for the board and feeding of prisoners confined in the County jail or other places of confinement of prisoners under the control of the County. The administration of the County jail shall be under the direction of the Director of the Department of Corrections appointed by the County Executive and confirmed by the County Council pursuant to Section 322 of the Prince George's County Charter. The Director of the Department of Corrections shall have the following duties:

Persons sentenced to be confined for a period of forty-eight hours or less in any seven (7) day period shall pay the cost of incarceration as determined for purposes of reimbursement by the State of Maryland, subject to reduction based upon the person's ability to pay. Persons whose household income is equal to or greater than the median household income, as determined by the State of Maryland for Prince George's County, shall pay the full cost of incarceration. Persons whose income is less than the median household income shall pay a proportion of the full cost of incarceration, in increments of ten percent (10%), rounded down to the nearest increment.

Persons sentenced to be confined in the Home Detention Program shall pay a fee which shall be equal to the gross wage earned for one hour of employment for each day that the person is confined in the Home Detention Program. The minimum fee payable shall be the minimum wage as established by Federal law.

Any personal property of an inmate which comes into the possession of the Department of Corrections as the result of an escape from a facility of the Department of Corrections or because such property has been left unclaimed by an inmate or individual who has right to its possession, shall be held by the Department of Corrections for a period of ninety (90) days after notice of such possession has been sent to the last known address of the inmate or individual, and a copy of such notice has been posted in a conspicuous location within a public area of the county correctional facility.

Personal property being held by the Department of Corrections, if claimed within the period of time referred to in Subsection (a), shall be delivered to the inmate or individual who satisfactorily establishes to the Director a right to its possession and gives a proper receipt therefor.

Personal property unclaimed after the period of time referred to in Subsection (a) shall be deemed forfeited and all rights in and to such property shall be foreclosed, extinguished and lost to the owners and claimants.

The Director of the Department of Corrections shall transfer to the County Purchasing Agent all property forfeited under this Section. The County Purchasing Agent shall have the same authority with respect to such property as contained in Section 18-115(a) of this Code.

The Director of the Department of Corrections is authorized and directed to receive any person sentenced by any judge of any Court of the State of Maryland or of Prince George's County following conviction under any ordinance of any municipality of the County and to detain or keep such person in the County jail.

The Director of the Department of Corrections is authorized to charge the municipality under whose ordinance such person is so sentenced for the daily maintenance of prisoners. The County police are directed to take or transfer persons so sentenced to the County jail without making any charge to the municipality for such transfer.

The Director of the Department of Corrections is authorized to receive persons convicted and sentenced in a jurisdiction other than Prince George's County, and to detain or keep such persons.

The County is authorized to charge the jurisdiction under whose laws such person is so sentenced for the daily maintenance of such person.

The Director of the Department of Corrections shall have full power and authority to make, repeal, alter or amend such rules and regulations, not inconsistent with law, for the maintenance, discipline and conduct of the County jail, prisoners, and employees placed under his supervision or control, as may be necessary and convenient for the proper administration of the power, authority and discretion conferred upon him.

Each prisoner sentenced to serve a term in the County jail shall be entitled to a diminution of the period of his confinement as follows. For each calendar month commencing on the first day of the month next after his arrival at the County jail, or on June 1, 1967, for each prisoner confined therein at that time, during which he shall not be guilty of a violation of the discipline or any of the rules thereof and shall labor with diligence and fidelity, he shall be allowed a deduction of five (5) days each month of the period of the commitment or sentence. For each and every violation of the rules and discipline of the County jail, or want of fidelity or care in the performance of work or lack of industry, the person therein confined shall not only forfeit all gained time in the month in which such delinquency occurs, but, according to the aggravated nature or frequency of his offense, the Director may deduct a portion or all of his gained time for good conduct earned prior thereto.

The Director of the Department of Corrections shall issue and maintain written rules and regulations, not inconsistent with law, concerning strip searches.