Dec 23, 2024 Story by: Editor
BALTIMORE — The Maryland Equitable Justice Commission (MEJC) has approved 18 reform measures aimed at reducing incarceration rates and addressing systemic issues in the state’s criminal justice system.
Established in 2023 by Maryland Attorney General Anthony Brown and Maryland Public Defender Natasha Dartigue, MEJC is a 40-member collaborative, including representatives from government, private sectors, and the community, alongside two academic partners.
“These recommendations are a crucial first step in making our State fairer, and safer, for all. Just as this crisis has harmed Black communities for decades, our efforts will impact Maryland families for generations, helping them heal from the trauma of mass incarceration,” said Attorney General Brown.
The commission highlighted a stark statistic: while Black residents constitute about 30% of Maryland’s population, they represent 71% of those incarcerated in state correctional facilities. The recommendations aim to address these racial disparities and reduce the overall incarceration rate.
Key Recommendations by MEJC
The commission outlined 18 actionable measures, including:
- Statewide Assessment: Identifying gaps in crisis response systems and improving alternative intervention models.
- Legislation to Curb Non-Safety Traffic Stops: Proposing laws to end non-safety-related traffic stops, enhance data reporting, and reassess the use of consent searches to minimize unnecessary police encounters.
- Police Training in Behavioral Theory: Mandating cognitive behavioral theory training for all Maryland police officers and evaluating its effectiveness.
- Analyzing Criminal Legal Processes: Reviewing each stage of the legal system to understand racial and geographic disparities in the prison population.
- Needs-Based Sentencing Pilot: Implementing a needs-driven sentencing pilot in collaboration with the Division of Parole and Probation in two counties.
- Reducing Pretrial Confinement: Revising discovery rules to ensure timely sharing of evidence by prosecutors and allowing defendants to waive bail review hearings.
- Mental Health Access for Incarcerated Individuals: Launching a pilot program for trauma-informed mental health treatment.
- Childhood Trauma Screening: Encouraging primary care physicians to perform Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) screenings with follow-up care.
- Parole System Reforms: Expanding early parole eligibility for older or seriously ill individuals and improving transparency in parole decisions.
- Support for Emerging Adults: Piloting a program to foster community building and intensive post-release services.
- Enhanced Re-Entry Programs: Increasing access to community-based re-entry initiatives and tracking their effectiveness.
- Second Look Laws: Expanding laws that allow judges to modify sentences under specific conditions.
- Financial Impact Study: Analyzing how probation and parole-related financial obligations affect re-entry success.
- School-Based Arrest Policies: Addressing the criminalization of in-school behavior by tracking school-based arrests and revising justice policies.
- Education for Justice-Involved Youth: Amending attendance requirements to enable youth to complete high school through GED programs.
- Youth in Adult Courts: Restricting the automatic charging of minors in adult criminal courts.
- Judicial Training Improvements: Ensuring judges are trained on implicit bias, cultural competency, adolescent brain development, and trauma.
The recommendations represent a comprehensive strategy to create a more equitable justice system in Maryland, with a particular focus on mitigating the long-standing impact of systemic racism on Black communities. Source: CBS News
