Issue Position: Second Chances, Safer Communities
Issue Position
No matter where you go in Maryland, people want the same things for themselves and their families: jobs and opportunities made possible by a good education, access to quality medical care, and a healthy environment. But wherever you live-- whether it's Baltimore City, Bethesda, or Berlin -- all of these goals can only be possible when all of our families are safe in their homes and in their neighborhoods.
Today, Maryland is a lot safer than it was just eight years ago.
Between 2006 and 2012, we drove down violent crime by 26.3%, achieving the lowest rate in nearly 30 years(1).
expand uWe've done this, in part, by focusing on our most violent offenders; ensuring that those who put our communities most at risk will be put behind bars and stay there. And we've worked closely with our partners in local law enforcement and local government -- giving them the resources they need to be successful in their fight against violent crime.
Yet as we've made our state safer, we've rejected the idea that safer streets require more Marylanders behind bars. In fact, we've seen record reductions in violent crime while reducing the number of people in our jails -- a 6%(2) drop since 2007, leading to the lowest rate we've seen since 1994(3). We have improved outcomes through evidence based practices that aid offenders and ex-offenders in rehabilitation.
Even more importantly, we've reduced the percentage of offenders who return to prison once they've paid their debt to society. Since 2000, Maryland's recidivism has drop from 51.4% to 40.5%; a reduction of almost 11 percentage points(4).
Improving the safety of our communities also means breaking the cycle of addiction. Since 2007, we have increased the number of drug treatment slots available in State correctional facilities by 9%(5) and partnered with the non-profit community to help ex-offenders access drug treatment through programs like the Public Safety Compact(6).
As more Marylanders escape a life of crime, we must change our approach to the ex-offenders in our communities. Together, we must improve our approach to recidivism and reentry, focusing our efforts on housing, job opportunities, and community support.
We've already made progress in this effort. Together, we've "banned the box" for state job applications, increased participation in training and education programs for inmates in order to better prepare them for a career after reentry, and improved community supervision through our Violence Prevention Initiative.
But our efforts are far from finished.
Building a better Maryland for more Marylanders means focusing our efforts on effective, progressive measures that keep our communities safe while extending more opportunities to our state's ex-offenders. Together, we'll: 1) create a "Pay for Success" recidivism reduction pilot program; 2) improve reentry management by implementing the Transition from Jail to Community model and bolstering transition services; 3) invest in transitional housing; 4) increase job training and employment support and create a pilot program for the Maryland Justice Corps; 5) increase the number of ex-offenders who reenter society with credentials; 6) adopt shielding requirements for non-violent offenses; 7) "ban the box" for all municipal and county employment applications; 8) create procurement preferences for contractors that employ hard-to-place individuals; 9) integrate one-stop career centers in reentry planning; and 10) modernize our approach to non-violent drug offenses.
By taking a new approach to ex-offenders and implementing these critical steps, we'll continue to make Maryland a safer place to live, work, and raise a family.
Sincerely,
Source