The Justice Reinvestment Coordinating Council Releases Recommendations

Recommendations Projected to Save $247 Million Over Next Decade

ANNAPOLIS, MD – The Justice Reinvestment Coordinating Council today announced a set of data-driven recommendations to reform Maryland’s criminal justice system. The recommendations are aimed at safely reducing Maryland’s incarcerated population, controlling corrections spending, and reinvesting in more effective, less expensive strategies to increase public safety and reduce recidivism. The reform package is projected to save $247 million over the next decade by realigning criminal justice spending and holding the criminal justice system accountable for results.

The Justice Reinvestment Coordinating Council’s proposed recommendations would:
Reserve prison beds for serious and violent offenders;
Strengthen probation and parole supervision;
Improve and expand re-entry and treatment services;
Support local corrections systems; and
Ensure oversight and accountability.

Following the charge laid out by Governor Larry Hogan, Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller, Jr., Speaker Michael E. Busch, Chief Judge Mary Ellen Barbera, and Attorney General Brian E. Frosh, the Council engaged in a six-month study of Maryland’s criminal justice system, analyzing state data, evaluating policies and programs used in other states, and reviewing research on what works to reduce recidivism.

“It is our responsibility to ensure that every Maryland tax dollar spent on our criminal justice system delivers the highest return on our investment in public safety,” said Governor Hogan. “Throughout its work, the Council focused on how to treat offenders suffering from substance abuse or mental health problems, and explored reentry programs that could help them become contributing members of their communities once they return home. I want to thank the Council for its hard work on this significant report.”

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