Moore says Maryland prison killings a ‘tragedy,’ backs corrections head

Maryland Gov. Wes Moore on Thursday acknowledged that the state’s high rate of prison killings is a problem, but was light on specifics of how to address the problem.

“This is a tragedy and tragic issues that we’ve seen within some of our correctional facilities,” Moore, a Democrat, said.

The Banner reported this week that Maryland has one of the highest rates of killings in state-run correctional facilities in the nation. Since 2023, thirty-two incarcerated people have been killed in state institutions, more than all neighboring states combined.

Seven people have been killed in state facilities so far in 2026. Maryland incarcerates about 16,000 people in 13 facilities.

The state earlier this year opened a “potential criminal conduct” investigation after a man was found dead in his cell on May 20 at the Roxbury Correctional Institution in Hagerstown. The man’s father told The Banner that his son was dead for hours or possibly days before the discovery.

Roxbury’s warden was fired, 19 correctional officers have been charged administratively and eight medical staff were banned from facilities statewide.

Moore said he has “confidence” that the state can improve prison safety under the leadership of Secretary of Public Safety Carolyn Scruggs.

“I’m thankful that the secretary continues to do really good work on behalf of the people of Maryland,” he said.

Scruggs declined interview requests for The Banner’s investigation, though her office issued a lengthy statement explaining that the department faces myriad challenges that it is trying to address.

“The department has significantly lowered its staff vacancy rate, improved staff safety, and created pathways to opportunity for our incarcerated population,” Scruggs said in the statement.

Correctional officers and incarcerated people alike have pointed to short-staffing in prisons as a cause. The union representing corrections officers held a news conference Tuesday blasting Moore’s administration, with one labor leader going so far as to say “the blood is on DPSCS and Governor Moore’s hands” the next time an inmate or staff member is killed.

Without enough officers to supervise them, incarcerated people are often left in their cells for up to 23 hours a day, which can cause pent-up frustration that in turn leads to violence.

Moore said the state has reduced the vacancy rate among correctional officers and is “making proper investments” for safety.

“But we’re also very clear we have got to do more,” Moore said. He spoke to reporters after touring the Anne Arundel County Police Department’s Real Time Information Center.

Moore said the state has reduced the vacancy rate among correctional officers and is “making proper investments” for safety.

“But we’re also very clear we have got to do more,” he added.

Pressed for specifics, Moore offered none, saying only “nothing is off the table for when we talk about what we’re willing to do.”

“I’ve actually already asked the secretary to do a full evaluation as to what the needs are and how we can make sure that those needs are being met,” he said.

Scruggs is a department veteran who ascended to the secretary role after Moore took office in 2023.

During her tenure, a parole and probation agent, Davis Martinez, was killed while making a home visit to a sex offender in 2024. The state also ousted a problematic company that was contracted to provide medical care to incarcerated people, a drawn-out process that concluded in 2024. The state has settled a number of lawsuits from incarcerated people who have alleged that they received poor medical care while in custody.

Other cabinet members have had Moore’s backing only to be replaced after sustained poor performance from their respective agencies. Former Juvenile Services Secretary Vincent Schiraldi resigned in June 2025 amid political pressure from lawmakers and law enforcement over a spike in youth crime. Moore had stood by Schiraldi publicly until the end, when he said he had ordered his resignation; Schiraldi said he had already offered to resign and planned to do so later that year.

Banner reporter Justin Fenton contributed to this article.