When you think of a state w/ most racist, cruel, & outrageous system of criminalization & incarceration, you probably don't think of Maryland.
Learned some brutal facts today. Let's start w/ this:
Maryland incarcerates more Black people than any other state in country. More:
70% of people in Maryland prisons are Black.
That's the highest percentage in the nation.
Double the national average.
More than 25% higher than MD's nearest competitor - Mississippi.
Maryland charges more children as adults per capita than any other state besides Alabama. And Alabama recently changed their law, so Maryland is now likely the worst.
Maryland charges children *automatically* as adults for more than 33 offenses, including misdemeanors.
Maryland charges nearly 1,000 children a year in adult court even though more than 87% of them are transferred to juvenile court, have their cases dismissed, or are given time served.
But by then the trauma has happened. Damage done.
The vast majority of children are Black.
Congress reauthorized the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act in 2020. Prohibited the caging of juveniles in adult prison.
1 out of every 3 Maryland jails reports caging a juvenile.
Maryland is violating federal law as I type this tweet
Maryland is 3rd in the country for the caging of juveniles in adult prison behind Florida and North Carolina (changed their law so they will be at zero), & Alaska.
Maryland has a Governor who is actively lying that the police in his state were defunded, when their budgets have dramatically increased every year.
And Maryland is the state that is home to Prince George's County, MD, where the self-proclaimed "progressive" prosecutor Aisha Braveboy (@SABraveboy) continues to send hundreds of people into the horrors of their pretrial cages. More here on her injustice: gaspingforjustice.org
There is some cause for optimism in Maryland.
The state Juvenile Justice Reform Council proposed changes to ending charging kids as adults. But it's likely to face opposition by Maryland's Governor currently staging a lie campaign to "refund the police." dls.maryland.gov/policy-areas/j…
More cause for optimism in Maryland. State closed 2 youth prisons during COVID &reduced youth prison population by 50% over past 2 years. And guess what?
Youth arrests in Baltimore City are down more than 2/3 since 2019 & the numbers have stayed low.
Decarceration = health.
Despite evidence showing treating kids with community-based interventions & not locking them up, increases public safety, Maryland still sends 100s of Black kids into the adult system every year despite all science, evidence, and research.
DO BETTER MARYLAND!!
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