Maryland Alliance for Justice Reform

07/23/2026

https://marylandmatters.org/2026/07/22/clash-between-union-and-state-over-prison-staffing-heats-up-after-discussions-stall/?emci=ea34e44e-b685-f111-b337-000d3a5a0747&emdi=66a1389f-c185-f111-b337-000d3a1558ce&ceid=260345

Violence among inmates has swelled in recent years. There have been 32 homicides investigated at state prison facilities since 2023 – more than half of all inmate killings recorded since 2015.

07/22/2026

https://www.thebanner.com/community/criminal-justice/maryland-prison-killings-increase-RAYXJXX4BRCPTLXCKYRL7X3AZM/

Maryland officials, she said, cannot abdicate their duty to keep the people in their facilities safe. “That’s a constitutional obligation,” Deitch said. “It’s not just a good idea.”

Since 2023, Maryland has had more prison homicides than all of its neighboring states combined. Its homicide rate last year was nearly four times the national average, based on available data gathered by The Banner.

07/21/2026

https://marylandmatters.org/2026/07/19/eight-roxbury-correctional-institution-inmate-stabbings-over-july-4-revive-staffing-questions/

“I think the biggest thing, especially as far as the staff, because you’re not going to be able to staff overall, is having the National Guard come in to support,” [State Sen. Paul Corderman (R-Washington and Frederick)]said..

One reaction from the community was clear: "Wow! Having untrained national guards inside our prisons would be a disaster.."

What are your thoughts on bringing untrained Guards into our prisons?

A July 4 weekend brawl at Roxbury Correctional Institution in which eight inmates were stabbed and hospitalized has renewed scrutiny of conditions at state prisons, with a lawmaker and labor leaders saying it points up short-staffing problems.

05/26/2026

Today, Maryland Governor Wes Moore signed the Youth Charging Reform Act into law. This landmark legislation marks a significant step forward for a state long defined by some of the highest rates of youth charged as adults in the nation.

04/17/2026

03/26/2026

The time has come for a major investment of time, energy, and money to make restorative justice diversion a common response to adolescent lawbreaking.

03/05/2026

https://marylandmatters.org/2026/03/04/senate-advances-measure-to-limit-adult-charges-for-youth/?emci=8541edc6-8d18-f111-a69a-000d3a1f0a97&emdi=18bf72a5-9a18-f111-a69a-000d3a1f0a97&ceid=260345
As of January, Maryland was one of three states where a certain offense committed by teens as young as 14 are automatically sent to adult court

Senators beat back four Republican amendments Wednesday to advance a bill that would reduce the number of crimes for which youth are automatically charged as an adult, with a final vote possible this week.

02/28/2026

https://www.thebanner.com/politics-power/state-government/youth-adult-charges-legislation-VTBP4ILBDNBHRGLVPG2OSJZIYI/?schk=YES&rchk=YES&utm_source=The+Banner&utm_campaign=579b2814ee-NL_PMSC_20260227_1700&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_fed7
5856d2-579b2814ee-617477518&mc_cid=579b2814ee
A bill that would reduce the number of charges for which teenagers are automatically charged as adults passed out of the Maryland Senate’s Judicial Proceedings Committee on Friday, a sign the legislation has found purchase after more than a decade of advocacy by criminal justice reformers.

The bill -- a compromise that shortens the list of crimes that automatically result in adult charges -- passed out of the Maryland Senate’s Judicial Proceedings Committee on Friday.

02/25/2026

https://www.sentencingproject.org/reports/re-punished-for-the-past-how-criminal-records-increase-prison-terms-and-racial-injustice/?emci=10453973-4912-f111-a69a-000d3a57593f&emdi=a7a8b5a9-5a12-f111-a69a-000d3a57593f&ceid=14180689
Take, for example, someone with a criminal record who received a 20 year sentence in Maryland. On average, 12.6 of those years were added to an initial sentence because of their record.

States are re-punishing people for past convictions, adding years or even decades to already long prison terms because of old convictions.

02/07/2026

https://marylandmatters.org/2026/02/05/senate-committee-again-ponders-bill-to-reduce-the-number-juveniles-charged-as-adults/

“Start the cases in the jurisdiction, whether adult or juvenile, where they’re most likely to end up based on the statistics that we have at our disposal,” West said. “Why would we want to multiply and waste legal, judicial, etc. resources having two trials for each case, if we can avoid it?”

For a second year, a Senate committee considered legislation that would alter laws that send some juveniles automatically to adult court, and for a second year, law enforcement groups argued against it.