Reforming Maryland’s cruel treatment of young offenders

At Maryland Penitentiary in Baltimore, he recalls, he was pulled back from depression by educational programmes and art, and “I went from being ‘little brother’ to ‘brother’ and then ‘uncle’; even ‘pops’.” He was released in 2019 at the age of 45 after a judge reduced his sentence. Now working in a warehouse, selling his paintings and engaged to be married, he is haunted by the thought that men he befriended in prison as teenagers may die there.

Since 2012, when the Supreme Court issued the first in a series of rulings that said the harshest sentence for juveniles—life without the possibility of parole—was unlawful except in rare cases, nearly half America’s states have abolished it. On March 30th Maryland became the latest to do so when it passed the Juvenile Restoration Act.

Maryland has lagged in justice reform in other important ways. It is one of only three states that require the governor to approve parole decisions, something those governors rarely do. In March Parris Glendening, a former Democratic governor, said he had made a “serious mistake” by refusing to grant parole to any lifers between 1995 and 2003. In 2019 Larry Hogan, a Republican, became the first governor in 24 years to approve parole for lifers sentenced as juveniles.

Plenty of cultures consider 13-15 years old adulthood. They should not be excused for their heinous crimes. They were aware of the consequences, which are barely in place in that degraded city

That is how felony murder works... if a death occurs during the commission of a crime you’ll be charged with Felony murder. If you didn’t ‘pull the trigger’ you’ll be charged but it will likely be dropped to conspiracy.

We can only hope DC has such a law.

European minors are not our minors. Our minors commit SERIOUS felonies like murder, rape, armed robbery.

Level of prison population, gun crime, poverty and socio-economic issues of USA confirm that major reform needed. When people have nothing they have nothing to lose. Combine with seeing others with so much and no realistic opportunity creates? So best take right to vote too?

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