The Justice Reinvestment Advisory Board Meets: Inmate Population Down, Savings Still Unknown
The Justice Reinvestment Advisory Board was established in Chapter 515 to provide advice to the Justice Reinvestment Act (JRA) Oversight Board. The Advisory Board is made up of stakeholders in the criminal justice system and is charged with analyzing the implementation of justice reinvestment initiatives.
A particularly Marvelous MAJR Monitor, Barbara Thomas, jumped in to attend the October 18 meeting of the advisory on two days’ notice. Eleven stakeholders were in attendance representing organizations such as the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), CASA de Maryland, the Job Opportunities Task Force, and the American Civil Liberties Union (a complete list of members is on the Board’s website). When a member asked for input on how the Advisory Board’s recommendations are transmitted to the Oversight Board, the facilitator explained that an annual report is one medium but ongoing recommendations and resources are another.
Members heard an update on JRA implementation. The inmate population is down about 6% (mostly due to reductions in those incarcerated before trial). The population is expected to decrease for 5 years and then level off.
Local Programs Vary Widely
A review of local programming found disparities in access to key programs among counties. Jail addiction services is the most prevalent service provided across the state. Every county is required to have abuser intervention programs, and these programs would probably be open to partnerships with detention centers. Not all detention centers offer re-entry programs. A speaker observed that abuser intervention and anger management are very different and noted that sometimes women defending themselves from an abuser are charged as abusers.
Incarcerated Women Need Relevant Programs
A woman whose role was to represent victims of sexual assault asserted that 85% of women in prison are there for prostitution or drugs. The prisons don’t have programs that get to the root of their problems. She pleaded for ways to help them understand the triggers once back in community. She said 12-step programs need funding and have evolved to meet women’s needs.
Maryland to Switch to NIBRS Soon
The group heard an update on data collection standards, and it learned that the Uniform Crime Report will soon be replaced by the National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS), which follows Federal guidelines. NIBRS will be able to collect information on race and ethnicity, which seems to be missing now.
How Much will Maryland Save? How will it Choose to Use the Money?
The advisory board (like the rest of us at this point) does not yet know what savings have been identified as a result of the JRA and what percent of savings will be made available to fund local initiatives. When they know, the advisory board can and will make recommendations. Members stressed that its recommendations should be based on evidence about what works.
