The Issue
In Maryland, the practice of automatically charging children as adults harms our Black children, with them making up nearly 80% of youth charged as adults while representing only about 31% of the state’s youth population. As young as 14, they are pushed into adult courts and confined in adult facilities for months, sometimes up to 900 days, often in isolation-like conditions under federal “sight and sound” separation rules. During some of the most formative years of their lives, Black youth are denied proper education, meaningful mental health care, and exposed to trauma have lifelong consequences. Most of these cases disproportionately harms Black children and funnels them into a system that prioritizes punishment over healing and rehabilitation.
While we support the bill which eliminates automatically charge youth as adults in its entirety. We support this version of the bill which eliminates 11 categories that automatically charges youth as adults, that account for 70% of youth in adult prison.
Please urge members of this committee to pass this version of the bill with no amendments that weaken it.
The Challenge
Please urge members of this committee to pass this version of the bill with no amendments that weaken it.
Take Action Now
Let state legislators hear your voice!
YOU make the difference between this legislation passing or not. We need you to email contact legislators so that they will support the community’s demands..
In other words - contacting your elected officials make a HUGE difference.
Here's how:
Step 1: Fill out your information.
Step 2: Hit ‘Send’.
It’s that easy!
Contact the Committee Members
You can also call, email and tag committee members on social media to tell them to support our demands.
