Governor Larry Hogan and Ben Jealous agreed to participate in only a single, hour-long televised debate on September 24th. But you will have this and other opportunities to find out where they stand on issues which have been important to you and the Maryland Alliance for Justice Reform. Write directly to the candidates, or call their offices with questions about justice reform.
Here are some questions that we would like to hear answered before the election:
- Do you support alternatives to incarceration where appropriate? Please explain.
- In your opinion is there a difference between being “tough on crime” and being “smart on crime”? Please explain.
- Maryland is one of the only states in the US that requires the governor’s approval of a parole commission’s recommendation to parole an inmate with a life sentence. Do you favor this policy? Please explain.
- Without job training, without drug treatment, without housing, ex-offenders in Maryland too often end up back in prison. What will you do as Governor to correct this pattern?
- The Justice Reinvestment Act, signed into law on May 19, 2016, seeks to reduce Maryland’s prison population and use the savings to provide for more effective treatment to offenders, before, during, and after incarceration. How would you use these savings?
Do these question address your major concerns? Do you have other questions that need to be asked?
