the Voice of
The Communist League of Revolutionary Workers–Internationalist
“The emancipation of the working class will only be achieved by the working class itself.”
— Karl Marx
the Voice of
The Communist League of Revolutionary Workers–Internationalist
“The emancipation of the working class will only be achieved by the working class itself.”
— Karl Marx
Oct 27, 2025
The Baltimore city jail regularly holds people for hours before releasing them—after a judge has ordered them released.
Each year around 7,000 people in Baltimore Central Booking are presumed innocent and are ordered to be released. But then the jail keeps them in holding cells an average of 14 more hours.
In cases where the prosecutor drops the charges, the jail holds the person for 24 more hours, twice as long as it holds those who post bail. And the jail holds some people much longer: up to five days. A lawsuit over this has dragged on since 2022.
This callous disregard for people’s lives and time can cost people their jobs, their cars, and sometimes their health or their life. The jail reports two violent incidents each day.
The jail is understaffed. But it is also functioning as intended: to oppress ordinary working people.