A pandemic-fueled economic freefall and nationwide protests calling for criminal justice reform have spurred Maryland legislators to examine ways to enhance legal representation for low-income residents facing eviction and to protect the rights of imprisoned or criminally charged youngsters this ...

Tagged with: eviction felony murder juvenile justice landlord tenant Maryland General Assembly Right to counsel

In an effort to protect the state’s juvenile jail population from the COVID-19 virus, Maryland’s top jurist told the state’s judges Monday to release those youngsters in detention or commitment whose release would not pose a danger to themselves or others and who have a home or other facility to go to serve their sentence, among other factors.

Tagged with: COVID-19 juvenile justice maryland courts covid-19

Current and former prosecutors, police and youth justice agents from outside Maryland came out this week in support of the state public defender’s call for judges to release all detained and incarcerated juveniles who do not pose an immediate threat ...

Tagged with: COVID-19 juvenile justice maryland courts covid-19 paul b. dewolfe

The Maryland public defender’s office seeks too much in its call for judges to release all detained and incarcerated juveniles who do not pose an immediate threat of seriously harming someone, state agencies responsible for the youngsters’ safety told Maryland’s ...

Tagged with: juvenile justice maryland courts covid-19

Welcome to Monday, the 32nd anniversary of the Supreme Court’s decision in Hustler Magazine Inc. v. Falwell that the First Amendment rights to free speech and press prevent public figures from collecting damages for intentional infliction of emotional distress based ...

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ANNAPOLIS — Juvenile justice and parole reform are needed to cure a Maryland prison system in which inmates are serving overly long sentences for crimes they committed as young adults, a justice policy analyst told a Senate panel Thursday. Marc ...

Tagged with: Justice Policy Institute juvenile justice Marc Schindler parole reform

Maryland judges can sentence juveniles convicted of murder to life in prison with the chance for parole without first considering the killer’s youth and related circumstances, the state’s second-highest court has ruled. Such individualized considerations are required only before a ...

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The 2019 Maryland General Assembly session could become the year of the child in the areas of criminal justice and cyberbullying. Leaders of the legislature’s judiciary panels list reform of the juvenile justice system and the prevention of online harassment ...

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Welcome to Monday, the 25th anniversary of the television premiere of “The X-Files.” Here are some news items to get your week started. — California Gov. Jerry Brown draws praise and scorn for commuting 20 murderers’ sentences. — Trump’s legal ...

Tagged with: commution gender bias Jerry Brown juvenile justice race bias Scott Walker Stormy Daniels X-Files

ANNAPOLIS – The Maryland public defender’s office Wednesday urged the General Assembly to pass legislation barring children from being charged as adults for gun offenses unless they actually used the weapon in a violent crime, saying the juvenile justice system ...

Tagged with: gun possession juvenile justice