Women’s Prison Program

The program at Maryland Correctional Institution for Women (MCIW) is a modified therapeutic community program located in building A-East, Jessup, Maryland. This program renders psycho-education, life skills and emotional support for those lives that have been impacted by substance use disorder. Treatment capacity is 75 and these individuals must adhere to both the guidelines of the program and the rules of Department of Corrections. The program’s duration is 6 months and upon completion the “clients” have a graduation to acknowledge their success. These individuals have been referred through a process called “re-entry”.

Re-entry meetings are held every Tuesday morning and the object is to notify inmates on programs and groups available to them. These inmates qualify through prior testing, self-report and related charges. Representatives from the Education, Psychology, Social Work, Case -Management , Addiction (short-term) and TC(Second Genesis)departments are present. Each discipline has the opportunity to present information that will assist the inmate in selecting the appropriate program(s).

This program affords the inmate an opportunity to challenge their thinking and consequently change their behaviors. Some of these inmates have been unable to remain consistent with a treatment format due to lifestyle challenges. The Second Genesis program provides a balance of group interaction, individual therapy sessions and substance abuse education that address the progression and consequences of addiction.

Program Director, Loretta Elizalde, ABD, MHS, LCPC, CAC-AD, AS