The Maryland Equitable Justice Collaborative (MEJC) releases its first report detailing the historical roots and current drivers of mass incarceration and racial disparities within the criminal legal system. The report contains 18 recommendations to address systemic inequities, particularly the over-incarceration of Black people, which were approved by MEJC members during their December 12, 2024, meeting. The report provides an in-depth analysis of current conditions and drivers of racial disparity, presents data-backed solutions, and calls on Maryland people, advocates, and public leaders alike to recognize the reality Maryland faces and push for reforms.
“This report lays bare the devastating and disproportionate toll that mass incarceration has inflicted on the Black community and charts a path toward meaningful change,” said Attorney General Anthony Brown. “But documenting the harm is not enough—our work to achieve racial justice and equity in the criminal legal system is far from over. We will push relentlessly for the full implementation of our proposals and drive forward long-term reforms to create a truly just system. I commend our members and partners for their unwavering commitment to correcting these systemic injustices.” “In both powerful and profound ways, we came together to not only highlight the devastating effects of mass incarceration on Black communities, we crafted a roadmap to meaningful reform and action against injustice,” said Public Defender Natasha Dartigue. “By gathering data, detailing facts and pooling the insights of a diverse group of stakeholders the Collaborative produced the substantive report and recommendations for advancing reform that squarely addresses underlying issues of racial justice and equity. I extend a heartfelt thank you to all who joined in the effort and will continue to work in collaboration to address the root causes of mass incarceration and offer pathways to rehabilitation and community restoration
.” Key recommendations include:
• increasing access to medical and geriatric parole;
• limiting the automatic charging of children as adults;
• ending non-safety related traffic stops;
• expanding access to Second Look laws that empower judges to reduce or modify sentences; and
• conducting a qualitative and quantitative analysis of each step in the criminal legal process to understand the impact of racial and geographic disparities in Maryland’s adult prison population.
The MEJC is an unprecedented collaboration between the Attorney General and the Public Defender, in partnership with the Judge Alexander Williams Center for Education, Justice & Ethics at the University of Maryland at College Park, and the Bowie State University Institute for Restorative Justice. The MEJC includes a membership of more than 40 experienced leaders from government, nonprofit, and academic organizations and backgrounds committed to addressing mass incarceration in Maryland. The recommendations were developed by work groups of Collaborative members focused on seven key areas known to impact incarceration rates:
• Criminal Law and Sentencing Reform
• Health and Human Services
• Education, Workforce Development and Economic Opportunity
• Law Enforcement Policies and Practices
• Prison, Jail and Detention Facility Reform
• Promoting Successful Reentry and Preventing Reincarceration
• Youth Justice Reform
Original source can be found here.