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For criminal sentencing, data-driven policy in action
What happens when a state agency decides to use a data-driven approach utilizing information from multiple sources to address a policy question?
Youth services, not facilities, aim of new law
ANNAPOLIS — The Maryland General Assembly passed a bill in the recently completed session that prohibits juvenile courts from committing a child to the Department of Juvenile Services for out-of-home placement for minor offenses, including trespass and possession of marijuana. The aim is to reduce the number of youth sent to long-term juvenile facilities. Instead, […]
Grants aim to make Maryland juvenile justice more equitable
ANNAPOLIS — Gov. Martin O’Malley’s administration has announced about $580,000 in federal grants to reduce the amount of minorities who are disproportionately caught up in the state’s juvenile justice system. The governor’s office of crime control and prevention on Tuesday announced the grants aimed at reducing disproportionate minority contact. That occurs when a racial [...]
Md. comes to compliance with juvenile detention rules
ANNAPOLIS — After at least two years of noncompliance and threats of funding cuts from the U.S. Department of Justice, Maryland appears to be on track for compliance with federal rules meant to protect juveniles from interacting with adult offenders when they’re detained in adult facilities. The Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act (JJDPA) requires […]
Lawmakers look for more reports from DJS
ANNAPOLIS — In an attempt to fix the state’s most troubled agency without spending more money, lawmakers are asking the Department of Juvenile Services for reports rather than policy changes. A bill that would have mandated substantially equivalent services for girls has been amended to ask for a report from the department by December outlining […]
Secretary DeVore says juvenile services improving
Outgoing Juvenile Services Secretary Donald DeVore told the Legislature’s Joint Audit Committee Tuesday that when he received the findings of a scathing audit that exposed a host of large problems with record-keeping, financial management, contracts, monitoring and personnel in his department, he didn’t get defensive. Instead, DeVore said, he got to work. “I convened weekly […]
