ANNAPOLIS, Md. — Maryland corrections officials are again investigating a fatal inmate attack, marking the third prison death in the state in January and renewing concerns raised by advocates and officials about violence within the state’s correctional system.
On Jan. 26, a 33-year-old inmate who was serving time at Jessup Correctional Institution was pronounced dead after an altercation with another inmate in the facility’s library, according to a preliminary investigation by Maryland State Police. Medical staff responded to the scene but were unable to revive him. A fellow inmate has been identified as a suspect, and formal charges are expected once the investigation is complete, authorities said.
The death follows two other inmate fatalities reported earlier that month. On Jan. 10, a 51-year-old inmate was found unresponsive in his cell at North Branch Correctional Institution in Allegany County; authorities identified another inmate as a potential suspect in that case. On Jan. 18, a 38-year-old inmate was found dead in his cell, with no suspect immediately named…