135 Deaths. How Many More Under Wes Moore’s Watch?

By Michael Phillips | MDBayNews

Since Wes Moore took office in January 2023, Maryland’s prison system has recorded at least 135 inmate deaths inside state correctional facilities.

One hundred and thirty-five.

That figure comes from data compiled through the federal Death in Custody Reporting Act, tracked by the Maryland State Police and the Governor’s Office of Crime Prevention and Policy. It covers state prisons operated by the Maryland Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services (DPSCS). It does not include local jails, juvenile facilities, or federal prisons.

This is not a partisan estimate. These are the state’s own numbers.

And they raise a question the Moore administration has yet to seriously answer:

How many more have to die?

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The Numbers Under Moore

Here is the breakdown since January 1, 2023:

• 2023: 42 deaths
• 2024: 22 deaths (a drop of roughly 47%)
• 2025: 68 deaths (a four-year high — nearly triple 2024)
• 2026 (through February 21): 3 confirmed deaths

Total since Moore took office: 135+ deaths.

The 2025 spike is especially alarming.

Of the 68 deaths in 2025:

• 21 were classified as natural causes
• 13 were confirmed homicides (the highest since at least 2012)
• The remainder include suicides, overdoses, and cases pending classification

Facilities like Jessup Correctional Institution recorded 15 deaths in 2025 alone — the highest facility-specific count in the system.

In January 2026, three more inmates were killed or died under suspicious circumstances:

• Larry Horton (North Branch Correctional Institution)
• Javon Foster (Jessup)
• Joseph Harrell (Jessup)

Three deaths in one month — all violent or suspicious.

This is not a system trending toward stability.

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A System Under Strain

Multiple reports have pointed to:

• Severe staffing shortages
• Increased lockdowns
• Inmate-on-inmate violence
• Contraband and drug smuggling
• Overstretched correctional officers

Correctional officers have warned for years that the system is stretched thin. Morale is low. Retention is difficult. Recruitment is worse.

When staffing drops, supervision drops.
When supervision drops, violence rises.
When violence rises, people die.

The 2024 drop in deaths briefly suggested improvement. But the 2025 surge erased that narrative completely.

Nearly 70 deaths in a single year is not a statistical anomaly. It is a flashing red warning light.

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Leadership Means Ownership

Governor Moore campaigned on public safety reform, criminal justice reform, and leadership accountability. He has frequently spoken about “data-driven governance” and “measurable outcomes.”

The measurable outcome here is simple:

135 dead inmates in just over three years.

Some will argue:
“They were prisoners.”
“They had violent histories.”
“Some deaths were natural.”

That misses the point.

When the state takes custody of a human being, the state assumes responsibility for their safety.

This is not about sympathy. It’s about governance.

If homicide inside Maryland prisons reaches levels not seen in over a decade — that is a leadership failure.
If staffing shortages are driving violence — that is an administrative failure.
If deaths spike to a four-year high — that is a systemic failure.

And systemic failures sit at the top.

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Silence From Annapolis

Where is the emergency task force?
Where is the legislative hearing tour?
Where is the public accountability session?

Maryland leaders are quick to hold press conferences on national political issues. But when 68 people die inside state-run facilities in a single year, the response has been muted.

Correctional officers deserve protection.
Inmates deserve basic safety under state custody.
Taxpayers deserve transparency.

Instead, Maryland gets data releases after the fact.

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The Real Question

The cumulative total since Moore took office stands at approximately 135 deaths and rising.

2025 alone marked the worst year in recent memory.
January 2026 already added more violent deaths to the tally.

So here is the unavoidable question:

How many more have to die before this becomes a full-scale crisis in Annapolis?

Leadership is tested not when numbers fall — but when they spike.

The spike has already happened.

Now Maryland waits to see whether anyone in charge treats it like an emergency — or just another statistic.

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