‘Inhumane, unsafe’: People detained in Baltimore jail were without running water for days, public defenders say

A Baltimore detention facility was without running water and functioning toilets for days this week, according to the Office of the Public Defender, which alleges the conditions were unconstitutional.

While the water was out at the Maryland Reception Diagnostic and Classification Center in Baltimore, people were unable to clean themselves and were given “minimal” bottles of water, the office said Friday. In some instances, people were forced to “remain in cells with unflushed excrement for days,” a news release said.