The silence is normal and expected during this stretch, even if it does not feel that way from the outside.
The Maryland Reception, Classification and Assessment process is the system's way of figuring out where your son fits before assigning him to a permanent facility. Every newly sentenced Maryland DOC inmate goes through it, and the duration varies considerably. A week on the short end, up to six months on the longer end, with most people landing somewhere in between. There is no fixed timeline because the process involves multiple moving parts that do not all move at the same speed.
What actually happens during classification covers a lot of ground. Medical and mental health evaluations establish a baseline for his physical and psychological needs. Educational assessments identify his academic level and any learning needs. Staff conduct interviews that feed into a risk and needs assessment, which generates a classification score. That score, combined with the nature of his offense, his criminal history, sentence length, and any special considerations, determines what security level he is assigned and ultimately which permanent facility he goes to.
The communication gap during this period is a byproduct of the process. New arrivals at classification centers often have limited or no phone access in the first week or two while they are being processed through intake. Mail typically gets there, just more slowly than at a permanent facility because the classification center is handling a high volume of newly arrived inmates simultaneously.
Start sending letters now. They will reach him even if calls are not yet available, and having something in hand during that disorienting first stretch matters. Once he clears intake and settles into the routine of the classification center, communication should open up more consistently.