Tag: prison
Attorney general, public defender launch collaborative to address inequity in incarceration
The state’s top prosecutor and defense attorney united Wednesday behind an effort to end inequities in incarceration – which Attorney General Anthony Brown described as among “the worst in the United States of America” – with a partnership including state agencies, law enforcement and justice reform advocates.
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Lawmakers consider powerful testimony on transgender rights for inmates
When Nicole Wells, a trans woman, was incarcerated in 2018 at the Baltimore Central Booking and Intake Center, she experienced the mistreatment that many trans women inmates go through, according to testimony this week on an anti-discrimination bill.
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What legalization of marijuana means for Maryland’s criminal justice system
Marylanders voted last month to allow the legalization of cannabis for recreational use, making the state the 22nd jurisdiction and the last state in the DMV area to do so. The legislation, which goes into full effect on July 1, 2023, allows the possession and sale of cannabis products up to one ounce for anyone 21 or older, and will mean the expungement of cannabis-related records for thousands of people.
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Coalition seeks voting access for Marylanders awaiting trial
Thousands of Maryland residents will not cast a ballot in this year’s election because they are behind bars. They have not had their voting rights taken from them. In fact, they have not been convicted of a crime. But because they are in jail prior to adjudication, they won’t get voting information. They won’t get a ballot. They won’t vote.
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Adnan Syed returns home, neighbor recalls memories of young Syed
Baltimore City Circuit Court Judge Melissa M. Phinn, citing prosecutorial misconduct, vacated Syed’s conviction September 19 on charges he murdered Lee. Phinn said in her ruling, prosecutors withheld evidence crucial to Syed’s defense.
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Release of Adnan Syed focuses attention on Maryland wrongful prosecutions
Attorney Erica Suter recalled the disbelief in the voice of her high-profile client, Adnan Syed, the subject of the viral podcast “Serial,” when the judge told him he was being released from prison after 23 years for a murder Syed says he did not commit.
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Maryland bill would provide voting info to the incarcerated
Those incarcerated awaiting trial or convicted of misdemeanors would be able to register to vote and learn about their voting rights under legislation in the Maryland General Assembly this year.
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Growing old in prison: How Maryland is working to ease the path to release for a low-risk, high-cost population
One report predicted that by 2030, people over 50 will make up one-third of the U.S. prison population.
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Coronavirus spreads in Washington region’s prisons
The number of coronavirus cases inside correctional facilities across Maryland, the District of Columbia and Virginia are rising, while inmates, staff and their families grow more concerned.
Read MoreCorrectional officers respond to Baltimore City prison scandal
The union that represents Maryland correctional officers responded Tuesday to the scandal that led to the federal indictment of 13 Baltimore City Detention Center correctional officers for helping a national gang run a criminal enterprise within the walls of the prison. The officers complained of lack of staffing and systemic weaknesses.
Read MoreCommittee chairman unhappy about potential fraud uncovered in audit
State prison officials Tuesday told legislators reviewing a very negative audit of their Baltimore Region financial operations that personnel problems helped cause large gaps in financial accountability, but they were making changes.
“Looking at this audit, it’s horrendous some of those things that occurred,” said Gary Maynard, secretary of Public Safety and Correctional Services. “But I think those things will be of the past and we will move forward,” because the unit had been reorganized.
Read MoreState auditors seek criminal probe into possible fraud and misuse of money in Baltimore-area prisons
There were so many opportunities for fraud and misuse of money by workers in the Baltimore region of the state prison system that state auditors are asking the attorney general to look into possible criminal charges.
Auditors found an “almost complete lack of control and accountability” for the corrections region’s working funds, uncovering included thousands of dollars in penalties for bounced checks, checking accounts out of balance by hundreds of thousands of dollars, and checks machine-signed by people who no longer worked at the department.
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