Maximum security (men and women) — a treatment and evaluation facility; houses the inpatient mental-health center · State Prison · DPSCS

Patuxent Institution

Jessup, Howard County, Maryland

Visiting schedules change without notice. Always call before traveling.

Call Visiting Office: (410) 799-3400 Info last verified: June 2026

Maryland's treatment- and evaluation-oriented prison, in Jessup — a maximum-security facility that holds men and women and houses the state's inpatient correctional mental-health center.

Statewide rules that apply at every Maryland state prison

These rules are set by DPSCS and apply at every unit. The full list — including all permitted and prohibited items and the approval process — is in Visiting in Maryland.

Dress code

Dress modestly — no revealing, sheer, or provocative clothing, and nothing that resembles what incarcerated people or staff wear.
Each facility enforces its own visiting dress code and may turn away a visitor who is dressed out of code, so confirm the specific facility's rules before traveling.

ID: Every visitor must be on the incarcerated person's approved visitor list, and visitors 16 and older show a valid government-issued photo ID. The incarcerated person generally must serve about 30 days before visits can begin.
What to bring: Bring only what the facility allows — phones, bags, and most personal items are not permitted; a small amount of cash in $1 bills is allowed only where a vending machine is available. Money for the person's account is sent through Access Corrections, never handed over at a visit.
Scheduling: Visits are by appointment arranged with each facility (often by email) and confirmed in advance — Maryland has no single statewide online scheduler, and days and hours vary by facility. Maryland also offers free video visits through Microsoft Teams. A newly committed person is processed at a reception/classification center first — women at the Maryland Correctional Institution for Women; men's intake is in transition, so confirm the current location.

Full statewide rules: Visiting in Maryland

Overview

Patuxent Institution, in Jessup, is Maryland’s treatment- and evaluation-oriented prison — a maximum-security facility that holds both men and women in its programs. It also houses the Correctional Mental Health Center–Jessup (CMHC-J), the state’s inpatient correctional mental-health facility. Because it is a special-mission facility organized around treatment and evaluation, visiting can differ by program or unit; confirm the person’s unit and the facility’s current rules before traveling.

What Makes Patuxent Institution Different

It is Maryland’s treatment- and evaluation-oriented prison, a maximum-security facility built around its programs.
It holds both men and women, unlike most DPSCS prisons.
It houses the inpatient correctional mental-health center (CMHC-J), the state’s inpatient correctional mental-health facility.
It is in the Jessup corrections cluster, between Baltimore and Washington.

Visiting

The statewide DPSCS rules above — the approved visitor list, the dress code, ID, and item limits — apply at Patuxent Institution. The facility’s own arrangements:

The full visitor process is in Visiting in Maryland.

Getting There and Parking

The facility is on Waterloo Road in Jessup, in the corrections cluster between Baltimore and Washington.

Distances are approximate, based on map routing. Visitor parking is on site.

Nearby Services

The Jessup and Columbia area has the full range of gas, food, and lodging, with more throughout the Baltimore–Washington corridor. The nearest 24-hour emergency rooms are in the Columbia area.

Mail

Maryland does not use an off-site mail vendor — incoming personal mail goes directly to the facility. Address it with the person’s committed name and SID (State Identification) number and the facility’s inmate-mail address. Books must be new paperbacks ordered from an approved vendor; hardcovers are not accepted. Cash, checks, and money orders cannot be mailed to the person — money is sent through Access Corrections. Legal mail is opened in the person’s presence. Full rules are in Mail & Packages.

Learn More

For detailed information about visiting and communicating with someone in a Maryland state prison:

Visiting in Maryland — the approved visitor list, dress code, and arranging a visit
Mail & Packages — addressing mail to the facility and the paperback-book rule
Phone & Video Calls — ViaPath calls and free Microsoft Teams video visits
Sending Money — depositing through Access Corrections
Medical & Mental Health — sick call, the contracted provider, and oversight
Transfers & Finding Someone — reception, finding someone, and the locator

Sources

This page is compiled from the following publicly available sources. Policies change without notice — confirm current details with the facility before relying on them.