Inmate stabbed several times

A prisoner at the Maryland prison system's Jessup Pre-Release Unit was stabbed yesterday afternoon in an inmate-on-inmate assault, authorities said.

The victim was flown by helicopter to the Maryland Shock Trauma Center, said Maj. Priscilla Doggett, a spokeswoman for the Division of Correction. He was in stable condition last night, she said.

The incident occurred about 3:20 p.m. on the outdoor basketball court of the minimum-security facility, where prisoners are held for as long as two years before they are released.

"Sometimes the people that we manage do not al ways make good decisions that will aid them in their return to society," Doggett said.

The pre-release unit is one of several correctional fa cilities that remain in operation at the Jessup complex, where the House of Correction recently closed.

Prison authorities have recovered the suspected weapon. No further details of the investigation were available.

Gadi Dechter