News & Commentary

There’s No Such Thing as a Dumb Question. (Although, some may be insensitive.)

This Year Hasn't Been a Complete Disaster.

Across the country, COVID-19 outbreaks have resulted in hundreds, if not thousands, of reported positive cases among the population of immigrants who are detained. Cases will only increase as we approach the peak of the coronavirus pandemic. Substandard medical care in our detention centers has already resulted in deaths for other illnesses, including a 16-year old boy who died of the flu at the Customs and Border Protection facility in Weslaco, TX. A man in New Jersey died from gastrointestinal bleeding after being denied the necessary medical care to save him. 

The safety and rights of all Marylanders must matter to all of us.

The Need to Reduce People in Detention Centers is Urgent

Governor Hogan, listen to the health experts

One of the biggest threats to our democracy is rooted in our mass incarceration crisis. Our nation has the highest incarceration rate in the world, and Maryland disgracefully leads the nation with the highest percentage of racial disparities in our prisons. While Black Marylanders only make up 31% of the overall state population, they represent 52% of people in jail and 69% of people in prison.1 There are serious and continuing problems of over-policing in Black neighborhoods and biased sentencing laws. These racist policies have a devasting effect on the political power of Black Americans. 

On March 12, the Maryland Judiciary Committee considered HB 1001/ SB 774, which would limit the use of “restrictive housing” – the State’s term for solitary confinement – on children.

This piece originally appeared at The Baltimore Sun