Md. employees stole from inmate funds

A state audit has found that Maryland corrections employees in Baltimore regularly stole money from inmates’ accounts, The Baltimore Sun reports.

Lawmakers on Tuesday expressed outrage about the audit, which has been referred to the attorney general’s office for further investigation.

Delegate Steven Deboy, a Baltimore County Democrat, says prison workers have been treating inmates’ money “like a giant ATM.”

Correction officials say they’ve instituted several reforms and fired five employees as a result of the review. Gary Maynard, secretary of the Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services, says the audit uncovered “horrendous” behavior.

The review found that some employees at the five Baltimore prison facilities had easy access to blank checks and the signature plates needed to authorize checks. Tens of thousands of dollars were found to be missing.