Images from inside the House of Corrections
The Maryland House of Correction, also known as “The Cut” or “The House” is one of the oldest prisons in the United States, having been in use for 138 years. A prison that was designed for 200 inmates when it was opened in 1879 eventually held up to 1050 men. It was finally closed in 2007 after several violent events, including the death of correctional officer David McGuinn.
-
- A cell on Tier B of the South Wing of the Maryland House of Correction, which was vacated five years ago and is gradually being taken apart. (Barbara Haddock Taylor/Baltimore Sun)
-
- This is a window in the South Wing of the Maryland House of Correction, which is now empty and is gradually being taken apart. At the time of its closing, 842 inmates were housed in the facility. Many of the materials in the building will be recycled and reused within the Maryland prison system. (Barbara Haddock Taylor/Baltimore Sun)
-
- This is a slot (for meal trays) on the front of a cell on Tier B in the South Wing of the Maryland House of Correction, which is now empty and is gradually being taken apart. At the time of its closing, 842 inmates were housed at the facility, which was opened in 1879. (Barbara Haddock Taylor/Baltimore Sun)
-
- A plant grows near an open window at the Maryland House of Correction, which is now empty and is gradually being taken apart. (Barbara Haddock Taylor/Baltimore Sun)
-
- A huge tangle of razor wire covers part of the lawn at the Maryland House of Correction, which is now closed and is gradually being taken apart. (Barbara Haddock Taylor/Baltimore Sun)
-
- A view of Tier B in the South Wing at the Maryland House of Correction, which was closed five years ago and is gradually being taken apart. (Barbara Haddock Taylor/Baltimore Sun)
-
- A Fallout Shelter sign with a handprint that is in a loading dock at the Maryland House of Correction. The prison, which is now empty and is gradually being taken apart, housed 842 inmates at the time of its closing. (Barbara Haddock Taylor/Baltimore Sun)
-
- A rusted loading dock door at the Maryland House of Correction, which is now empty and is gradually being taken apart. (Barbara Haddock Taylor/Baltimore Sun)
-
- A maintenance worker walks through Tier B on the South Wing at the Maryland House of Correction, which was closed five years ago, when 842 inmates were transferred to other facilities. (Barbara Haddock Taylor/Baltimore Sun)
-
- This is a tangled mass of razor wire which is on the lawn at the Maryland House of Correction. The prison has been closed for 5 years and is gradually being taken apart. (Barbara Haddock Taylor/ Baltimore Sun)
-
- This is a detail of a reflection of razor wire in a broken mirror which is on the lawn at the Maryland House of Correction. Many of the materials in the building will be recycled and reused within the Maryland prison system. (Barbara Haddock Taylor/Baltimore Sun)
The building has been mostly vacant since then, and is in the process of deconstruction. Inmates from nearby prisons have been salvaging materials such as toilets and other fixtures that can be used in other prisons, thereby learning trades and skills that can potentially provide employment opportunities when they are released.
What remains of the prison is still visually interesting, from the tiny cells, some still showing coats of decorative paint, to the narrow catwalks once patrolled by correctional officers, to the miles of razor wire covering much of the outside surfaces. Despite the depressing interior, the light coming through some of the windows is beautiful.
Other details are notable, such as the heavy iron doors and the harsh streetlight-type fixtures that cast an eerie green glow over the interior. It is hard to imagine hundreds of inmates having to live together in the large dormitory areas once filled with tightly packed bunk beds.
Outside on the large lawn area there is a lone peach tree. On the grassy area between buildings there remain the ruins of bleachers where inmates spent some of their recreation time. Near the bleachers, a huge tangle of razor wire takes up part of the recreation yard. It seems impossible that it could ever be untangled. Just in front of the wire, a broken mirror reflects some of the razor’s barbs.
The Maryland House of Correction is as stark a place as can be imagined but is still an important piece of Maryland history.
Baltimore neighborhoods
Baltimore street photographers
Year in review
Freddie Gray: protests, aftermath
24 hours with...
A. Aubrey Bodine
Viewing Baltimore from above