1) What is your understanding of the racial disparities in Maryland’s criminal justice system? To the extent your office could make a difference, how would you address these disparities?
This question is too complicated to answer in this small amount of space that would do justice to my position on this CRITICAL ISSUE. It needs many discussions among leaders within the African American community in Maryland. Unfortunately, right now, we really don’t have real political leadership in Maryland that would enable us to improve racial harmony in our state.
2) In your opinion, is there a difference between being “tough on crime” and “smart on crime”? Please give examples of what you might do in office in this regard?
The question is too complicated for me to respond properly in this space
3) A statewide program that provides substance abuse and mental health screening for those in pretrial detention will expire in 2023. Will you support renewal of this program for substance abuse and mental health screening and treatment of pretrial detainees?
I need to do more research on this question. A simple yes or no given by anyone does not do justice to the question. A plan filled with a lot of jargon and high sounding words which turn out to be just that – words that sound good but become meaningless when it’s time to convert them into action – this is not the way to go
4) Will you support programs to improve Maryland prisons, for example, providing independent oversight, reducing assaults, offering every incarcerated Marylander services to reduce recidivism, such as education, job-training, and counseling?
Maybe – Although this question contains some basic concepts in the criminal justice system, it is too hard to properly respond in the amount of space given. for it.
5) Does Maryland need to expand access to criminal records’ expungement? Are the current statutes effective for ensuring public safety and equitable access employment and other opportunities?
Maybe – Again, it’s complicated – requires more than a yes or no.
6) Do you support reform of our juvenile justice system (4 parts) to:- provide less incarceration and more treatment for lower level offenses?- prevent police from lying to juveniles to induce confessions?- create a presumption of school discipline or restorative justice for non-felony offenses on school grounds, rather than arrest and formal prosecution?- support treatment of juveniles who have been sex-trafficked as victims, not offenders?
The series of questions within the main question make it too difficult to answer properly and honestly in this space.
7) Please add anything else that voters should know about your intended criminal justice policies.
I suggest readers of this survey go into Facebook and look at Ralph Jaffe – TUTOR MENTOR TEAM PROGRAM. People will have a much better understanding of how to deal with systemic roots of the crime problem.
