SOMERSET COUNTY – Concerns about staffing shortages and working conditions at the Eastern Correctional Institute (ECI) were raised today during a Somerset County Commissioners meeting, where former and current employees, along with local officials, urged the state to take immediate action. The plea for support comes as many expressed fears over the safety of both staff and inmates due to alleged critically low staffing levels.
These concern was echoed by former ECI Assistant Warden Sergeant Ronnie Dryden, who delivered an impassioned statement to the commissioners. He said that staff numbers at the facility have dropped from around 800 when it first opened to roughly 550 today - with a current shortage of 100 employees.
"The staffing is slow, positions aren’t being filled, posts aren’t being filled. It’s at a crisis point—I don’t care what anyone says," Dryden said. "We’ve got to get some people down here from headquarters and ask: Are you doing anything? Are you fixing anything?"
Current ECI staff members supported Dryden’s call for action, emphasizing that the hiring process has become increasingly difficult, with retention benefits being scarce and working conditions continuing to deteriorate.
The concerns raised at the meeting were also supported by state officials, including Delegate Charles Otto and Senator Mary Beth Carozza, who joined the call for top state officials to visit ECI and address the growing crisis. The Somerset County Commissioners have officially requested that top state officials take an urgent visit to ECI and immediately improve conditions at the facility.
“We need top officials to come down and hit this issue of correctional officer safety—and the safety of all ECI personnel and inmates—head on. With specifics, giving local wardens the flexibility they need to make good, safe decisions to keep those corrections officers safe, and to keep the entire population, both inside the prison and outside, safe,” said Carozza.
WBOC reached out to the Maryland Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services regarding the alleged staffing shortage and if top officials would be visiting ECI to asses the situation first hand. They responded in a statement:
"Secretary Carolyn Scruggs regularly visits correctional facilities across the state including the Eastern Correctional Institution, where she most recently visited in August. Addressing staffing and operational needs at all DPSCS institutions is of highest priority and the secretary will continue routine visits to ensure the safety and well-being of staff, incarcerated individuals, and the community.
While hiring remains a challenge in certain parts of the state, the Eastern Correctional Institution contributes to a positive department-wide trend, reducing vacancy rates from 16.06% in February 2023 to 13.59% in May 2024. More broadly, the Maryland Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services has made significant strides in mitigating vacancy rates across the agency, with a rate reduction from 14.41% in February 2023 to 10.65% in May 2024, reflecting a 26.1% reduction in 1.25 years under the Moore-Miller Administration.
The department will continue to aggressively pursue opportunities to increase our workforce and support its dedicated and hard-working correctional officers every day, who are vital to the Department’s mission and success."
