With a maximum static capacity of 987 beds, it offers the most diverse services to the most varied male and female offender population in the state, and possibly in the nation.

[1] Patuxent Institution began operations in 1955, a unique facility created to house Maryland's most dangerous criminal offenders.

These were offenders who demonstrated persistent antisocial and criminal behavior, and who were designated by the court to be involuntarily committed to Patuxent Institution under an indeterminate sentence.

From its inception, Patuxent Institution was specifically designed to be a self-contained operation that was staffed by full-time clinicians, including psychologists, social workers and psychiatrists, as well as by custody personnel.

Patuxent Institution was also unique in that it was provided with its own admission, inmate review, and paroling authority separate from that of the Maryland Division of Correction (DOC).

In 1987, fueled by a consent decree resulting from the court case of Brown, et al. vs. Gluckstern, another significant institutional change was implemented.

In 1994, Patuxent Institution shifted the approach of its core treatment program in response to the swelling numbers of young offenders entering the correctional system.

Now privatized, the program delivers a four-month treatment cycle to male and female inmates with significant substance abuse histories who are preparing for parole or mandatory release.

This unit provides evaluation and support to inmates referred from DOC institutions who have mental health histories and who are scheduled for release to the community.

The unit was specifically designed to provide those mentally ill inmates with the support necessary to prepare for an eventual lasting return to their "home" institution's general population.

If the crime was committed on or after March 20, 1989, the Board of Review can recommend parole but must have the approval of the Secretary of Public Safety and Correctional Services.

As the offender progresses through the various stages of the pre-release and parole program, he or she is expected to demonstrate an increased level of personal responsibility with decreasing reliance on external support.