Black and Latino defendants in Massachusetts are more likely than white defendants to be locked up for drug and weapons offenses and get longer sentences than white people sent to prison for similar crimes, researchers at Harvard Law School said in a report released Wednesday.

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A group of journalists and nonprofits is asking a federal court to declare unconstitutional Maryland’s law against broadcasting lawfully obtained recordings of criminal proceedings. The complaint, filed Tuesday in U.S. District Court in Baltimore, claims the law “impedes the public’s ...

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As the opioid crisis rages in Maryland, prosecutors are continuing to develop and hone strategies to get help for those in need while also punishing distributors contributing to the problem.

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In response to various legislative proposals from Gov. Larry Hogan, Maryland is on a fast track to pass a poorly conceived law that, if enacted, will grow Maryland’s prison population with little impact on our safety. The full Senate on ...

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There’s an effort for reform of solitary confinement ( also known as “restrictive housing” or “administrative segregation”) in Maryland jails and prisons in the General Assembly. Senate Bill 539 (cross-filed with House Bill 786) seeks some limitations on the practice ...

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The Criminal Justice Coordinating Council voted to disband Wednesday just weeks after Gov. Larry Hogan stripped it of its funding but also agreed to form a new body to continue the council’s work. Hogan announced Sept. 15 the council would be stripped ...

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A decline in the number of juveniles securely detained in Maryland is expected to continue, thanks to ongoing modifications and tools in use by the state’s Department of Juvenile Services to standardize the intake process.

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WASHINGTON — Justice Department officials met Wednesday with police commanders, mayors and FBI leaders from across the country to discuss ways to reduce violent crime. The summit came amid a rise in murders in many large American cities this year. ...

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WASHINGTON — A majority of blacks in the United States — more than 3 out of 5 — say they or a family member have personal experience with being treated unfairly by the police, and their race is the reason ...

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HEMPSTEAD, Texas  — A Texas prosecutor says the death of a black woman whose family disputes authorities’ finding that she hanged herself in a jail cell is being examined as thoroughly as a murder investigation. Waller County District Attorney Elton ...

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