September 11, 2009The Honorable Marilynn M. BlandChairpersonPrince George's County CouncilCounty Administration BuildingUpper Marlboro, Maryland 20772Dear Chairperson Bland:It is my pleasure to submit to you and the County Council the appointment of Ms. MaryLou McDonough as the Director of Corrections for Prince George’s County. Ms. McDonough brings expertise in the management and administration of local government and is an excellentchoice to serve as Director.Ms. McDonough, a resident of Mitchellville, has over 30 years with Prince George’sCounty government where she has gained valuable experience in the Department of Corrections,the Department of Housing and Community Development and the Department of FamilyServices. Since 2008, she has been Acting Director of Corrections. In this role she has shownthe determination, leadership, and hard work necessary required to have a safe, compliant andeffective Department. Ms. McDonough’s management approach has been to go 'back to basics'which has involved reorganization of staffing levels to provide more supervision of the cells andworking units, additional emphasis on training and holding employees and supervisorsaccountable and terminating those that consistently violate policy.Her actions have resulted in the efficient operation of the facility and a dramatic decreasein incidents within the facility. And for the first time in ten years, the Department hasmaintained its fiscal year 2009 budget and did not require any supplemental funding. In 2008,the American Correctional Association re-certified the Department; Prince George’s County isonly one of two jails in Maryland to hold this designation. The Department is also certified bythe State of Maryland.As Acting Director, she is responsible for a budget of $69 million, a staff of 646employees, including 493 sworn officers and 153 civilians and an average daily population of 1260 detainees housed in County facilities. Additionally, she oversees a non-detainee populationof approximately 800-900 that participate in community corrections programs which includes pre-trial individuals released to the community, home detention, electronic monitoring, and dayreporting offenders.
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