Latest news with #MarylandCleanSlateAct
CBS News
10-04-2025
- Politics
- CBS News
Maryland passes package of bills to reform criminal justice system
The Maryland General Assembly passed three bills that aim to reform the state's criminal justice system. Gov. Wes Moore signed more than 90 bills into law after the end of the 2025 legislative session Tuesday. Several of those bills addressed the state's economy and public safety, and more are still heading to his desk. Three bills passed by the General Assembly are being praised by Maryland Attorney General Anthony Brown and Public Defender Natasha Dartigue for addressing reform in the criminal legal system. The Geriatric and Medical Parole Reform bill allows some incarcerated people who are older or sick to apply for early release. The bill will change how the Maryland Parole Commission evaluates requests for medical parole, and add a meeting between the incarcerated person and the commission. Under the bill, the commission is required to consider the age of an incarcerated person when determining if they should be granted parole. The bill also takes away the governor's ability to deny a medical parole decision by the commission. The Commission is now required to conduct a risk assessment to determine if releasing an incarcerated person will impact public safety. "In just 18 months, we've made meaningful progress—offering relief to those who have been incarcerated far too long, particularly Black youth, and ensuring that individuals who are seriously ill or elderly have a chance to leave prison and live out their lives with dignity," Attorney General Brown said. Lawmakers also passed the Second Look Act, a bill that allows courts to review long prison sentences for people who were convicted of a crime that occurred when they were between the ages of 18 and 25. Attorney General Brown and Public Defender Dartigue praised the bill for creating pathways to redemption and acknowledging a person's transformation. Under the bill, incarcerated individuals will be able to request that their sentence be reduced. The bill lists several criteria, for example, the person cannot have been sentenced to life in prison. They have to serve at least 20 years of their sentence, and they will not be considered if they were convicted of a murder that involved a first responder in the line of duty. Similar bills were introduced during the 2025 legislative session, including the Maryland Clean Slate Act , which would have allowed some cannabis possession and misdemeanor charges to be expunged from criminal records. However, that bill did not pass. The Restorative Practices in Public Schools bill requires the Maryland Department of Education to create a guide to establish restorative practices in daily school activities. The restorative approach is proactive in setting behavioral expectations that contribute to the well-being of students. The practices focus on holding students accountable for harmful behavior. Under the bill, the restorative approaches include peer meditation, conflict resolution, social emotional learning and trauma-informed care. State education officials would help county school boards to implement the guidelines. Attorney General Brown and Public Defender Dartigue praised lawmakers for their efforts in criminal justice reforms. "The new laws are not simply policy—they are about real people, real families, and real communities finally seeing a path toward justice," Dartigue said. "Collectively, these laws will transform the lives of thousands of Marylanders, putting millions of dollars back into our state's coffers while striking at the heart of the racial injustices that have fueled our broken system of mass incarceration for far too long." In 2023, Brown and Dartigue created the Maryland Equitable Justice Collaborative (MEJC) to address racial disparities in mass incarceration. Ahead of the 2025 legislative session, they shared their recommendations and highlighted issues that they believe impact equality and fairness in the legal system. Among their recommendations, the Public Defender's Office (OPD) called for an end to the automatic charging of minors as adults, saying the practice disproportionately impacts Black and brown children. "While these reforms bring much-needed hope, our work is far from finished," Attorney General Brown said. "These changes are just the beginning, and we will continue to fight for broader reforms to ensure that all Marylanders have access to a truly equitable and just criminal legal system."
CBS News
20-03-2025
- Politics
- CBS News
Convicted felons in Maryland could soon petition for early release with bill advancing
Convicted felons in Maryland could soon have a chance to petition for reduced sentences under a new bill that is one step closer to becoming a law. The Second Chance Act, or House Bill 724, which would apply to convicted felons who have already served 20 years and are not a danger to the public, survived Crossover Day passed the House chamber and now heads to the Senate. Under the proposed bill , petitions would be filed once every three years. Per the measure, the courts would consider factors including the individual's age at the time of the offense, behavior during incarceration, participation in educational programs, and public safety risk. A similar bill, the Maryland Clean Slate Act , would direct the Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services to clear marijuana possession records and cases at least three years old. The bill would also allow for expungement of misdemeanor charges after seven years. However, domestic-related crimes and second-degree assault charges would remain ineligible for expungement under the proposed law. If passed, the legislation would require all electronic court records of cases eligible for expungement to be removed from public view starting in August 2027. The bill specifies that physical documents and media would not need to be redacted or destroyed. After recreational cannabis was legalized in Maryland in July 2023, Gov. Wes Moore pardoned more than 175,000 convictions for cannabis or drug paraphernalia possession. Currently, the Juvenile Restoration Act allows people who served at least 20 years of a sentence for a crime they committed when they were under the age of 18 to request a sentence reduction. The law passed in 2024, also prohibits the courts from sentencing minors to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole or release. According to a 2024 report by the Second Look Movement , nearly one-third of people serving life sentences are 55 or older, which amounts to more than 60,000 people. The report also says that lengthy sentences do not significantly deter crime and that people tend to desist from crime as they age. In December 2023, the Maryland Equitable Justice Commission shared recommendations to reduce mass incarceration in the state and reduce racial disparities in the justice system. The commission said that Maryland has the highest amount of Black individuals in its prisons when compared to the state population. Expanding second look laws, limiting the automatic charging of children in adult criminal court, and increasing the number of people eligible for parole consideration due to serious medical conditions, or reaching an age where they are no longer a threat to public safety.
CBS News
19-02-2025
- Politics
- CBS News
Convicted felons in Maryland could have a chance at a reduced sentence under proposed bill
A proposed bill aims to give individuals serving lengthy prison sentences an opportunity to reduce their sentence. Under House Bill 724, the Second Chance Act, those who have served at least 20 years of their sentence would be able to petition for sentence reduction. Petitions would be filed once every three years. Per the measure, the courts would consider factors including the individual's age at the time of the offense, behavior during incarceration, participation in educational programs, and public safety risk. Similar proposed laws A similar bill, the Maryland Clean Slate Act, would direct the Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services to clear marijuana possession records and cases at least three years old. The bill would also allow for expungement of misdemeanor charges after seven years. However, domestic-related crimes and second-degree assault charges would remain ineligible for expungement under the proposed law. If passed, the legislation would require all electronic court records of cases eligible for expungement to be removed from public view starting in August 2027. The bill specifies that physical documents and media would not need to be redacted or destroyed. After recreational cannabis was legalized in Maryland in July 2023, Gov. Wes Moore pardoned more than 175,000 convictions for cannabis or drug paraphernalia possession. Impact of existing sentence reduction laws Currently, the Juvenile Restoration Act allows people who served at least 20 years of a sentence for a crime they committed when they were under the age of 18 to request a sentence reduction. The law passed in 2024, also prohibits the courts from sentencing minors to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole or release. According to a 2024 report by the Second Look Movement, nearly one-third of people serving life sentences are 55 or older, which amounts to more than 60,000 people. The report also says that lengthy sentences do not significantly deter crime and that people tend to desist from crime as they age. In December 2023, the Maryland Equitable Justice Commission shared recommendations to reduce mass incarceration in the state and reduce racial disparities in the justice system. The commission said that Maryland has the highest amount of Black individuals in its prisons when compared to the state population. Expanding second look laws, limiting the automatic charging of children in adult criminal court, and increasing the number of people eligible for parole consideration due to serious medical conditions, or reaching an age where they are no longer a threat to public safety.
CBS News
05-02-2025
- Politics
- CBS News
Maryland's proposed Clean Slate Act would expunge certain cannabis, misdemeanor charges
BALTIMORE -- A proposed bill in Maryland could expunge criminal records for some cannabis possession and misdemeanor charges. The Maryland Clean Slate Act would require the state's Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services (DPSCS) to expunge court records for cannabis possession charges if they were issued before July 1, 2023, or if at least three years have passed since the case. Misdemeanor charges could also be expunged if seven years have passed since the cases. Domestic-related crimes and charges of second-degree assault would not be eligible to be expunged. The proposed bill would require that all electronic court records and references to the specific criminal case be removed from public view by July 2027. The bill would not require documents or media to be redacted or criminal records to be destroyed. Starting in August 2027, the Clean Slate Act would allow court officials to identify cases that are eligible for expungement under the required criteria. Those cases would be sent to DPSCS and would need to be expunged within 30 days of the notification. The Clean Slate Act has a hearing in the state Senate scheduled for Wednesday, Feb. 5. Cannabis convictions in Maryland Recreational marijuana use in Maryland was legalized in July 2023. One year later Gov. Wes Moore pardoned more than 175,00 convictions for cannabis or drug paraphernalia possession. The executive order was the nation's largest pardon for misdemeanor cannabis possession charges. The measure made Maryland the first state to include paraphernalia possession in a cannabis pardon, according to the governor. "Maryland made history when we legalized cannabis by referendum. But we cannot celebrate the benefits of legalization while forgetting the consequences of criminalization," Gov. Moore said. "No Marylander should face barriers to housing, employment, or education based on convictions for conduct that is no longer illegal." The pardon included 15,000 simple cannabis possession convictions and 18,000 misdemeanor convictions for intent to use drug paraphernalia. Cannabis impact on public health The Maryland Department of Health began monitoring the impacts of cannabis on public health by launching a dashboard in November 2024. The dashboard tracks emergency room visits, youth and adult use and calls to Maryland and D.C. poison control centers. "By tracking key indicators, we can create programs and resources aimed at preventing youth cannabis use, promoting safe storage of products to prevent accidental poisonings, and ensuring that existing services effectively support Marylanders facing adverse effects from cannabis use," said Deputy Secretary for Public Health Dr. Nilesh Kalyanaraman. Between 2021 and 2023, calls to poison centers serving Maryland nearly doubled for kids nine and younger and tripled for those ages 10 to 14, according to the dashboard. The data also showed a 21% increase in cannabis-related hospitalizations between 2023 and 2024. rise in hospitalizations due to cannabis vape products.
