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Prisoner Re-Entry - Maryland
Page history
last edited
by Renato Nuñez 3 years, 8 months ago
Front Page / Issue Briefs / Justice, Crime and Public Safety / Prisoner Re-Entry / USA / Maryland
Issue Brief
Prisoner Re-Entry - Maryland
Scope of the Problem factual statements on the extent of the problem in the past, current, or future
- "Historical Incarceration and Release Trends: Maryland's incarceration and re- entry trends are similar to those observed at the national level. Between 1980 and 2001, Maryland's prison population more than tripled, from 7,731 to 23,752 prisoners. The per capita rate of imprisonment in Maryland more than doubled over the same period, rising from 183 to 422 prisoners per 100,000 residents. The growth in Maryland's prison population is attribut- able to increased admissions rather than to longer lengths of stay in prison. Key factors influencing increased admissions include rising crime rates and arrests, more admissions of drug offenders, and more parole violators return- ing to prison. Maryland's release patterns reflect these rising admissions and population trends: 9,448 prisoners were released from Maryland prisons in 2001, nearly double the number released in 1980 (5,436)."
- "How Maryland Prisoners Are Released: In 2001, nearly three-quarters of Mary- land prisoners were released through non-discretionary means (i.e., mandatory release or expiration of sentence). About one-fifth of prisoners were released by parole board decision, a discretionary approach. The number of prisoners released by parole board decision has decreased over the past decade."
- "Profile of Prisoners Released in 2001: The majority of released prisoners were male (91 percent) and black (76 percent). Three-quarters were between 20 and 40 years old at release; the median age at release was 34. One-third had been serving time for drug offenses. About half of the prisoners released in 2001 had served two years or less in prison; the largest share (37 percent) served between 40 and 60 percent of their sentences. Seventy percent had been in prison at least once before, and 22 percent had been parole violators at some point in their criminal careers."
- "How Prisoners are Prepared for Release: In 2001, about 17 percent of inmates were involved in educational or vocational programs offered by the Maryland Division of Correction (MD DOC) at any given time (roughly 40 percent over the course of the year), half had work assignments (e.g., sanitation, food service) within the correctional institutions, and an additional 7 percent participated in a work-release program. Nearly one-third of all Maryland state prison- ers (31 percent) were classified as idle, which denotes a lack of participation in programming or work. In addition to traditional programming, comprehen- sive reentry efforts, such as the Reentry Partnership Initiative (REP), currently serve a very small fraction of returning prisoners. REP served 125 of the 4,411 who returned to Baltimore City in 2001, or 3 percent. The state plans to use a portion of its recently awarded Going Home funds to expand the REP program to serve 500 prisoners returning to the City of Baltimore each year."
- "Life on the Outside, Parole Supervision: In 2001, 89 percent of released prisoners were subject to some period of parole supervision after release. The num- ber of people on parole in Maryland has more than doubled, from 6,436 in 1980 to 14,143 in 2000. Over the past decade, the number of parole violators, especially technical violators, also has increased. In 2002, 58 percent of pa- role revocations were for technical violations, while 42 percent were for new crimes."
- "Geographic Distribution of Released Prisoners: The vast majority (97percent) of Maryland prisoners released in 2001 returned to Maryland; of those, 59 percent returned to Baltimore City (4,411 released prisoners). Within Baltimore City, releasees are even more concentrated in just a few communities, including Southwest Baltimore, Greater Rosemont, and Sandtown-Winchester/Harlem Park. Some of these communities received more than 200 released prisoners in 2001, more than the number that returned to some entire coun- ties in Maryland. These communities also are characterized by high levels of poverty and crime."
Past Policy & Program Milestones key legislation and milestones including significant policy and funding shifts, major studies, etc.
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"During the 2015 Legislative Session, Gov. Larry Hogan signed into law a bill establishing a “Justice Reinvestment Coordinating Council,” that was to develop policies to 'further reduce the state’s incarcerated population, reduce spending on corrections, and reinvest in strategies to increase public safety and reduce recidivism.'”
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Ex-Offenders Earned Opportunities Act: " The Maryland Alliance for Justice Reform (MAJR) is endorsing two inter-related bills introduced by Delegate Pamela Queen. These promise to improve the educational outcomes of Maryland prisoners, to enhance public safety, and to save on the costs of incarceration. Under the provisions of Maryland’s justice reinvestment initiative, some of these savings may expand and improve educational opportunities available to prisoners."
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Maryland Second Chance Act of 2015: "The Maryland Second Chance Act of 2015 – Championed by the Job Opportunities Task Force (JOTF), this bill would allow certain nonviolent misdemeanor convictions to be shielded from public view after a 3-7 year waiting period. Law enforcement retains full access to shielded records, balancing the public’s need to know with ex-offenders’ employment needs."
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Rewarding Educational Achievements in Prison: "This legislation proposes to establish a special task force on correctional education. The Task Force shall study and make recommendations regarding:
- the adequacy of resources used in State correctional education,including State, local, and private funding;
- the quality and effectiveness of current correctional education programs for adult and juvenile offenders, including the use of computers and technology;
- the benefits of correctional education programs collaborating with institutions of higher education, businesses and the private sector, prison industries, and treatment programs;
- the optimal system for State oversight and management of correctional education; and
- the collection of data and outcome measures for participants in correctional education programs."
- Collateral Consequences, The Uniform Collateral Consequences of Conviction Act: "The Uniform Collateral Consequences of Conviction Act provides states with a process whereby defendants are both notified of indirect penalties that may attach to their convictions, and have an opportunity for partial relief from those penalties, when appropriate."
- Strengthen Certificate of Rehabilitation: "On October 2017, Maryland implemented the Justice Reinvestment Act (JRA) which included a Certificate of Rehabilitation for returning citizens. The stated purpose of the Maryland Code, Correctional Services §7-104 is to ensure that licensing and certification boards cannot deny a license solely due to a prior conviction. Unfortunately, many who might benefit from such a certificate are excluded."
- Ban-the-Box on College Applications: "Maryland Delegate Maggie McIntosh introduced HB694 during the 2017 legislative session, with Senator Conway cross-filing the same bill as SB543. This bill won overwhelming support in both the House and Senate. The bill is intended to prohibit colleges and universities that receive Maryland State funds from asking about an applicant’s criminal history during the initial application process. Criminal history can be considered in the final determination of admission or campus residency."
- Education for Prisoners: "The Maryland Alliance for Justice Reform (MAJR) is endorsing two inter-related bills introduced by Delegate Pamela Queen. These promise to improve the educational outcomes of Maryland prisoners, to enhance public safety, and to save on the costs of incarceration. Under the provisions of Maryland’s justice reinvestment initiative, some of these savings may expand and improve educational opportunities available to prisoners."
Current Policy & Programs summary of current policies in the form of legislation, programs, and funding
Key Organizations contacts for public and private organizations
- Government
- "The State-wide Maryland Re-entry Initiative is designed to assist individuals with criminal backgrounds by Increasing their employability and Providing equal opportunity and access to employment resources"
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- Non-Profit - Service Providing
- Non-Profit - Advocacy/Membership/Network
- Maryland C.U.R.E: "Maryland CURE is a state chapter of National CURE. While we support many prison ministry and advocacy groups, our mission is to work for changes in the legislative system in support of criminal justice reform."
- Foundation
- Other
- MAJR: "Maryland Alliance for Justice Reform (MAJR) is a bipartisan, all-volunteer, statewide alliance seeking legislative changes in Maryland’s correctional policies to support alternatives to incarceration, address inequities, and aid citizens returning from prison to lead productive lives, thus, strengthening families and communities."
Bibliography web sites, reports, articles, and other reference material
Contributor(s):
Prisoner Re-Entry - Maryland
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