BALTIMORE – The Maryland Board of Public Works approved the next step for the new Baltimore Therapeutic Treatment Center, Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan announced.
The board approved the contract for design services to STV Incorporated located in Baltimore, allowing the Department of General Services and Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services to proceed with the design of the new facility.
“This is a watershed moment in the advancement of Maryland’s criminal justice system,” Governor Hogan said. “We are excited to be moving forward with a state-of-the-art treatment center in Baltimore Ceremony that will offer services and treatment for those struggling with addiction.”
The BTTC will be located in the middle of the 17-acre Baltimore City Correctional Complex on Eager Street, replacing the Baltimore City Detention Center, which was shuttered due to unsafe conditions. The demolition of the detention center was completed in August 2021.
“The Therapeutic Treatment Center will be a multidimensional facility that will include robust deflection, diversion, treatment and reentry service in a purpose-built facility,” said DPSCS Secretary Robert Green. “The design will be rooted in a comprehensive data and trend analysis that will place Maryland and Baltimore City at the forefront of treatment of the incarcerated population. The Therapeutic Treatment Center is the perfect alignment of evidence-based services to meet the needs of those individuals who are, or otherwise may become, involved in the criminal justice system.”
The new treatment center is projected to be completed over a 10-year period, with an estimated cost of over $450 million.
The specialized facility will provide mental health and substance use treatment services and care to nonviolent offenders upon entry into the criminal justice system.
The construction of the new treatment center will provide approximately 325,000 gross square feet of detention housing for approximately 800 beds, for both males and females, of varying treatment classifications. To reduce project construction costs, DGS has creatively included the repurposing of the former jail industries building, approximately 145,000 gross square feet, into the complex.
The design will place significant emphasis on stabilization, treatment, care coordination, and discharge planning, with the goal of much-improved reentry outcomes.