Maryland Alliance for Justice Reform
04/17/24
As pandemic eases, share of Black inmates in Maryland prisons peaks - Maryland Matters ... See MoreSee Less
As pandemic eases, share of Black inmates in Maryland prisons peaks - Maryland Matters
'The liquor store was open during COVID, but not the reentry programs,' an advocate notes.- Likes: 1
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The coronavirus pandemic caused a historic drop in Maryland’s prison population. But after the state of emergency ended and prisons filled again, the share of Black incarcerated people reached a five-year-high late last year, a Capital News Service data analysis has found.
Maryland Alliance for Justice Reform
01/19/24
The act’s supporters say all it does is extend rights to children that adults already have in a state that has one of the biggest racial disparities in juvenile incarceration in the country. And that’s why Legislative Black Caucus of Maryland chair, Democratic Delegate Jheanelle Wilkins of Montgomery County, says they’ll defend it fully this year from any attempts to change it. ... See MoreSee Less
Maryland Black lawmakers want no changes to Child Interrogation Protection Act
2022 law extends rights to children, but prosecutors have since claimed that it hurts criminal investigations.Maryland Alliance for Justice Reform
10/25/23
Attorney General and Public Defender Form Historic Partnership to Launch Groundbreaking Initiative Committed to Reducing Mass Incarceration of African Americans and Other Marginalized Groups
BALTIMORE, MD (October 25, 2023) - Attorney General Anthony G. Brown and Public Defender Natasha M. Dartigue today announced the creation of the Maryland Equitable Justice Collaborative (MEJC), a new initiative dedicated to reducing the mass incarceration of African Americans and other marginalized groups in Maryland prisons and jails. The goal is to examine the scope and causes of this crisis, and to develop a comprehensive plan for reform and recommendations by January 2025.
“The disproportionate mass incarceration of Marylanders, felt most starkly in the African American community, is a devastating trauma in our State that demands our immediate
and abiding attention and resolve,” said Attorney General Brown. “It is a sad reality that the vast majority of people who have been removed from communities across the
country and put behind bars are Black. The formation of the Maryland Equitable Justice Collaborative will bring together experts from the criminal justice system, academia,
government, and the community to identify the underlying causes of this crisis and develop a roadmap for reform. I’m honored to launch this historic collaboration with
Public Defender Dartigue.”
“As the first-ever advocacy partnership between the Attorney General and Public Defender, the Maryland Equitable Justice Collaborative will bring renewed focus to the development and implementation of meaningful reform in the criminal legal system and will amplify the voices of the marginalized communities in more expansive ways. I applaud Attorney General Brown for prioritizing the elimination of mass incarceration, and for taking the bold step to partner with OPD to get this critical work done. We hope that the historic magnitude of this partnership inspires the significant changes that are urgently needed,” said Public Defender Dartigue. “I am thankful for the expertise of our diverse group of community stakeholders and their willingness to join us in this endeavor to address the crisis of mass incarceration and its particularly harsh impact on Black communities and other marginalized populations.” ... See MoreSee Less
Comment on Facebook 959659654082102_735472455290733
Soft on crime initiatives serve the criminals and ensure reduced incarcerations, yet incarcerated felons don't reoffend. When are our legislators going to get real about protecting the law abiding??? Keeping felons OUT ON THE STREET to what end???
Maryland Alliance for Justice Reform
05/11/23
Maryland holds the dubious distinction as having one of the highest rates in the country of prisoners who were sentenced as children, with a heavy racial skew, according to a new report. ... See MoreSee Less
Maryland ranks fourth for rate of prisoners convicted as children
Six out of every 100 prisoners in Maryland were sentenced when they were under 18 — and 80% of them are Black.Maryland Alliance for Justice Reform
03/25/23
How did we become a worldwide leader of imprisonment? Why are these prisoners disproportionately Black and brown? Probably the biggest misconception in criminal justice is that prison makes us safe, and more prison makes us safer. ... See MoreSee Less
Prisoners Today, Neighbors Tomorrow
A new book “What’s Prison For?” explains how American prisons can better educate and rehabilitate the incarcerated.Maryland Alliance for Justice Reform
03/18/23
"Independent studies have shown that felony murder is disproportionately, and overwhelmingly, used to lock up black and brown people." ... See MoreSee Less
A Teen Got 55 Years After Cops Killed His Friend. He Might Be Coming Home.
LaKeith Smith is finally being resentenced. But he’ll face the same Alabama judge who sent him to prison for felony murder when cops killed his friend.