Employee placed on leave in mistaken release case

TOWSON, MD – The Maryland Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services has placed one employee on administrative leave pending the final outcome of  the Department’s investigation into the mistaken release of Rodriquez Purnell last Friday.

In accordance with Departmental policy and State personnel guidelines, the employee is on paid leave during the investigation, and no further information is available regarding the employee.

The current investigation is focused on the release process. Preliminary results indicate a lapse in release procedures that would otherwise have identified the pending charges at the time of release.  The Department’s review will not only include the actions of the employee, but all related policies and procedures, to see whether anything needs to be changed in the wake of the error, or whether this was simply the result of one employee’s failure to adhere to established policies and procedures.

DPSCS annually releases approximately 10,000 sentenced inmates, in addition to thousands more pretrial detainees in Baltimore City who either make bail or are released by the courts.

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DPSCS Communications Contacts:

Gerard Shields | 410-339-5834 | gshields@dpscs.state.md.us

Mark Vernarelli | 410-339-5065 | mvernarelli@dpscs.state.md.us

Communications Office | 410-339-5081