Tag: Criminal Justice System

POLICY PLATFORMS – M4BL

Black life and dignity require Black political will and power. Despite constant exploitation and perpetual oppression, Black people have bravely and brilliantly been a driving force pushing toward collective liberation. In recent years, we have taken to the streets, launched massive campaigns, and impacted elections, but our elected leaders have failed to address the legitimate demands of our Movement. We can no longer wait.

In response to the sustained and increasingly visible violence against Black communities in the U.S. and globally, a collective of more than 50 organizations representing thousands of Black people from across the country came together in 2015 with renewed energy and purpose to articulate a common vision and agenda. We are a collective that centers, and is led by and rooted in, Black communities. And we recognize our shared struggle with all oppressed people: collective liberation will be a product of all of our work.
— Read on m4bl.org/policy-platforms/

Let’s Empower Jurors to Halt an Injustice | Cato Institute

But that could just as easily have come from President Donald Trump. Through a series of flagrantly unconstitutional executive orders, Trump has sought to silence the opposition. This culminated with an executive order demanding that the Departments of Justice and Homeland Security investigate former administration officials who pushed back against Trump’s frivolous claims that the 2020 election was stolen.

The Framers understood the danger of a despotic regime and regarded the criminal jury trial as a key procedural safeguard to help ensure that only those acts and individuals society deemed truly culpable result in criminal punishment. This is of particular importance today — in a nation plagued by rampant overcriminalization and coercive plea bargaining — where often all that stands between us and a criminal record is a prosecutor’s decision to charge.
— Read on www.cato.org/commentary/lets-empower-jurors-halt-injustice

Maryland Equitable Justice Collaborative-Breaking the 71%:  A Path Toward Racial Equity in the Criminal Legal System

OAG and OPD Release Groundbreaking Report on Racial Disparities in Maryland’s Criminal Legal System

Attorney General Anthony Brown, in partnership with Public Defender Natasha Dartigue, is proud to announce the release of the Maryland Equitable Justice Collaborative’s inaugural report, “Breaking the 71%: A Path Toward Racial Equity in the Criminal Legal System.”

This comprehensive study addresses the alarming reality that Black Marylanders, while comprising only 30% of our state’s population, represent 71% of those incarcerated in our correctional facilities—the highest such disparity nationwide.

The report presents 18 evidence-based recommendations to reform law enforcement practices, criminal sentencing, health services, detention policies, reentry programs, education, and youth justice. These recommendations reflect input from state agencies, community organizations, academic institutions, and directly impacted individuals.  View the fu​ll report