How to file a complaint from a Baltimore jail

Inmates continue to have rights, even while incarcerated, but finding out what their rights are and getting a simple step-by-step outline of how to file complaints is difficult. On the other hand, there is great detail available about nearly every other aspect of the incarceration experience, from disciplinary procedures against inmates to a dress code for visitors.

Procedures vary for inmate complaints. Federal rules require inmates in jails and in prisons who wish to file complaints to exhaust every administrative option before filing a lawsuit. In some states, if an inmate files a lawsuit before exhausting other options and loses the case or it is tossed out, the state can require restitution for its court costs.

In Baltimore City, the Inmate Grievance Office handles all inmate grievance complaints against Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services officials and employees. If the grievance is deemed legitimate, it goes before an administrative law judge at the Office of Administrative Hearings. If a judge concludes that a grievance has merit, a written decision is forwarded to the secretary of the department for review and a final administrative decision.

In Baltimore, complaints must be submitted to:

Inmate Grievance Office

410-585-3840

6776 Reisterstown Rd

Suite 200A

Baltimore, MD 21215

In Guilford County, NC, the state’s five-member Inmate Grievance Resolution Board has jurisdiction over all appeals of inmate grievances filed through the Administrative Remedy Procedure. Complaints must be submitted to:

Inmate Grievance Resolution Board

4207 Mail Service Center

Raleigh, NC 27699-4207

(919) 850-2936