The ACLU of Maryland works to ensure that the justice system does not penalize children on the basis of gender, race, economic status or disability. Children are too often deprived of their liberty not because they pose a threat to public safety, but because they demonstrate a high level of need. The justice system for children must not expose them to abusive conditions of confinement, subject them to intrusive surveillance, or criminalize normal adolescent behavior. We seek to ensure that justice system responses to children are fair, equitable and rehabilitative.