American politicians are now eager to disown a failed criminal-justice system that’s left the U.S. with the largest incarcerated population in the world. But they’ve failed to reckon with history. Fifty years after Daniel Patrick Moynihan’s report “The Negro Family” tragically helped create this system, it’s time to reclaim his original intent. Read the full Atlantic article.

The Maryland Reentry Collaborative in partnership with Coppin State University presents the Third Annual Statewide Reentry Symposium.

Barbara Thomas was interviewed in September on WCAO-AM: Heaven600, “Baltimore’s Good News Station.”  

Here is the gist of her remarks:

Let’s talk about the state of justice equality in Maryland: What’s the status?

Our work is just beginning. Incarceration rates in Maryland and the US are nearly 3 times the level they were in the 1980s. Maryland’s recidivism rate still is too high–within 3 years after release from prison, over 40% get arrested for new offenses and sent back to prison. By comparison, some other states–Oregon & Virginia–have figured out ways to drop this repeat-offense-incarceration rate into the 20% range.  Continue reading →