https://www.mdsecondlook.com/jamesina.html
Maryland is finally actively taking an in-depth look at its prison system and the ineffective ways that it operates. Below are some elements of "The Second Look Act" which can make substantial difference in the system, inside and outside of the walls.
The Second Look Act, which allows prisoners who have served at least twenty years to request hearings for resentencing, can save taxpayer funds and offer hope and in many cases something closer to justice for prisoners.
Maryland has opportunity to address and fix to serious problems with its correctional system—thereby reducing incarceration, saving taxpayer funds, improving public safety, and mitigating injustice.
Many years ago, Maryland joined a U.S. “tough on crime” movement that treats many minors as adults and increases penalties. These policies have led to large youth prison populations that disproportionately impact poor children and children of color.
“BEHIND THE WALLS” policies control what happens once a person is sentenced to prison or jail for a crime. But prison by itself does not make our communities safer.
Maryland’s prisons face these ongoing systemic problems:
Some correctional officers enable drug abuse in Maryland prisons.
Fewer than 10% of Maryland prisoners are allowed to participate in Maryland’s Correctional Enterprises program, which would give them lawful job skills on release.
The number of GEDs earned by prisoners in Maryland has dropped in recent years, even though possession of a GED is proven to reduce crime after release.
Maryland’s use of harmful solitary confinement (aka “restrictive housing”) increased during the pandemic.
Maryland Parole Commissioners recommend that prisoners participate in services to win their release, but Maryland prisons don’t make those services available.
Correctional Ombudsman. Maryland prisons are dangerous and unhealthy, but prison administrators’ claims and reports about what goes on inside are not always reliable. For a true picture of the problems of assaults on prisoners, drug smuggling by correctional officers, inadequate medical care, and lack of effective programming and educational opportunities, an independent perspective is needed. Other states have made good use of Correctional Ombudsmen to receive confidential tips, conduct investigations, and publicly report problems and solutions. Maryland should adopt this system, permitting the Ombudsman to make unannounced visits to prisons.
Education Behind the Walls. Prison education has proved one of the factors most effective in reducing recidivism. Until two decades ago, prison education was run by the Maryland Department of Education. It was then moved to the Department of Labor, at which point the number of GEDs and college degrees awarded declined significantly. Treatment and educational services are in short supply. Maryland should return to the previous, much more successful arrangement.
Decarceration. Maryland’s prisons are increasingly filled with aging and elderly prisoners. That’s a large financial burden on the state, but study after study shows no public safety benefit. We should expand the use of geriatric parole and medical parole to reduce our prison population.
Reentry coordination. Ninety-five percent of those incarcerated in Maryland will return to their communities after serving their sentences. Too often, they exit the back door only to return through the front door. Traditional approaches to parole or release have resulted in Maryland’s high recidivism rate: over 40% of those released from our prisons return within three years.
Take the time to research and study this Act and Senate Bill 123; House Bill 724. Get informed and act let's fix this mess! INMATES HAVE RIGHTS TOO, and so do their families.