Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays from UULM-MD!

Read Full Article Here: Criminal Justice Reform Update

January 14th (The Second Wednesday) is fast approaching and our Maryland Legislature will again begin 90 busy days to introduce bills to make new laws or improve existing ones.. This is an important time for Unitarian Universalists (UUs) to get involved and support legislation that aligns with our values. The Unitarian Universalist Legislative Ministry of Maryland (UULM-MD) has been a key player in this process for twenty years. With our current governmental challenges, we must demonstrate that we care... It’s time for UUs to show up for Justice!

Today our focus is on Criminal Justice.

At UULM-MD, we strive to be “Smart on Crime,” by supporting policies backed by data and research, instead of fears and salacious headlines. We believe that our policies should answer the question: “How do we create a safe and motivating environment within our prisons, while some individuals are dealing with trauma, mental health, and other conditions?” Instead of treating our prisons as warehouses for lost causes, our goal should be to create an environment for reflection, re-evaluation, and reinvestment in a brighter future to reduce recidivism.

Citizens who are released from Maryland’s prisons face a monumental task of integrating successfully back into their neighborhoods or other locations where they seek to live and thrive. Their problems or “collateral consequences” are staggering: food, food stamps, welfare support, health care, relationship difficulties, jobs, housing, and others. The majority of recidivists (70%) are repeat offenders who are trapped in this cycle.

Over past years we have worked to reduce recidivism by working on: 

• Diminution Credits and Helping Those in Prison to Access Pell Grants to Pay for their education. 

• Reforming Solitary Confinement- To ensure that our state was in compliance with the Vera Commission Study from 2016. 

• Police Accountability Reform 

• Juvenile Justice Reform

Unfortunately, there is no silver bullet that ends crime. So, we need policies that reflect our current understanding, but leave the flexibility to adapt to incorporate new ideas, data, and best practices as they are identified.

Many bills that we have addressed in the past have involved Restrictive Housing (Solitary Confinement) within the prison system. Unfortunately, many of the needs and inhumane issues that occur in prison involve money--lack of staff and medical/mental health care. Governor Moore closed down the crowded Jessup Prison Complex, dispersing the population to other smaller units which seem to be functioning a little bit better.