Death of Maryland prison inmate under investigation

A 38-year-old inmate at a Maryland prison was found dead in his cell on Sunday, prompting an investigation by State Police. 

Police said Javon Foster was serving time at the Jessup Correctional Institution in Anne Arundel County at the time of his death. 

Troopers were called to the facility on Jan. 18 around 7:30 p.m. after Foster was found on the floor of his cell. He was pronounced dead on the scene, police said. 

Foster's cellmate was believed to be in the cell at the time of Foster's death, according to police. 

The Chief Medical Examiner will complete an autopsy to determine Foster's cause and manner of death, officials said. 

The Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services is also investigating the incident. 

Maryland inmate deaths 

Foster's death was Maryland's second recorded inmate death of 2026. The first occurred at North Branch Correctional Institution in Allegany County, according to police. 

According to data from police, there were 68 inmate deaths reported in 2025, up nearly 200% from the 22 inmate deaths in 2024, and 61% from the 42 deaths in 2023. 

Of the 68 deaths reported in 2025, 15 of them occurred at the Jessup Correctional Institution, data shows. 

In December, 10 people at the facility, including three staff members, were indicted for separate alleged contraband smuggling schemes. 

According to the indictment, two correctional officers and a correctional educator smuggled drugs, food, cellphones and other prohibited items into the facility and gave them to inmates and incarcerated students.