Watch CBS News

New Women's Jail In Baltimore Delayed

BALTIMORE (AP) -- Maryland corrections officials say they are reconsidering their plans for a new women's jail in Baltimore.

Corrections spokesman Rick Binetti says the design of the detention center was put on hold in November so officials could review projections for the female jail population. There has been a 15 percent decline in the number of women jailed in Baltimore since the last projections were made about five years ago.

A nonprofit that urges states to seek alternatives to incarceration has criticized the project. The Justice Policy Institute says the jail shouldn't be built at all, regardless of size.

The jail was proposed after the Justice Department found that inmates in Baltimore were subject to overcrowding that violated their constitutional rights.

(Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.