www.sentencingproject.org/reports/re-punished-for-the-past-how-criminal-records-increase-prison-t...
Take, for example, someone with a criminal record who received a 20 year sentence in Maryland. On average, 12.6 of those years were added to an initial sentence because of their record.
www.sentencingproject.org
States are re-punishing people for past convictions, adding years or even decades to already long prison terms because of old convictions.Olinda Moyd, a prison reform advocate who serves on a state correctional oversight board, said that whatever the label used to describe it, “isolation is isolation.” She described solitary confinement as a tool that is overused by prison administrators to control the population, despite the fact that is known to cause mental harm.
Maryland increasingly relies on isolating prisoners in ‘restrictive housing’
www.thebanner.com
Criminal justice reform advocates say the long stretches of forced solitude in Maryland are known to cause mental health issues and equate the conditions to torture.With Maryland’s state and local elections approaching in 2026, both voters and candidates should keep in mind that “tough on crime” may not be so smart, either for public safety or for our taxpayers’ burden.
'Tough-on-crime' and the smaller ideas that work better - Maryland Matters
marylandmatters.org
More time behind bars does not mean better outcomes for inmates, who would be better served if Maryland worked to trim its prison population and use the savings for programs to help those incarcerated...Comment on Facebook More time behind ...
Yea right crime is at all time highs democrats want to give that money to illegals
"The justification for felony murder is that it acts as a deterrent but studies have shown it does not deter or reduce risk of re-offence as it’s “hard for something to be a deterrent if no one knows about it”.
John Oliver on the ‘shocking’ use of felony murder charges in the US
www.theguardian.com
The host spoke about a little known charge that sends people to prison for life for murder even if they haven’t actually murdered anybodyThe FCC said that the lowered rate caps were creating “unacceptable risks to safety and security.” However, the FCC did not actually provide any examples of lowered price caps leading to safety incidents.
Inmates will pay up to 83% more for phone calls, thanks to new FCC rule
popular.info
Last week, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) voted to allow prison telecommunication companies to charge incarcerated people up to 83% more for phone calls.Number of inmates in Maryland prisons rose 3.8% from 2022 to 2023, about twice the national average, federal report shows
US prison population rises for second straight year after years of decline - Maryland Matters
marylandmatters.org
The nation’s prison population grew for the second consecutive year in 2023, reversing more than a decade of steady decline. In Maryland, the numbers grew 3.8%, about twice the national average of 2...www.thebaltimorebanner.com/community/criminal-justice/maryland-prison-conditions-letter-4ISLC6GUF...
‘Indefinite lockdowns,’ extreme heat, prompt letter from Maryland prisoner advocacy group
www.thebaltimorebanner.com
The Prisoner Rights Information System of Maryland put the state on notice over constitutional violations it's attributing to "indefinite lockdowns" at state prisons.Comment on Facebook The Prisoner Rights ...
Maryland prisoners in numerous facilities are spending nearly all their days locked in their cells, preventing opportunities for education, recreation, recovery support and other services to such an extent that it violates the U.S. Constitution’s prohibition on cruel and unusual punishment, according to a letter from a prisoners’ rights advocacy group.
thedailyrecord.com/2025/08/12/maryland-prison-lockdowns-staffing-shortages/
thedailyrecord.com
Advocates for prisoners in Maryland’s correctional facilities have asked state officials to address staffing shortages that have led to "constant" lockdowns.Comment on Facebook Advocates for ...
“These conditions pose undeniable risks to [prisoners’] health and well-being, and when worsened by under-staffing, also result in inadequate medical and mental health care,” counsel for PRISM wrote.
lailluminator.com/2023/08/14/stifling-prison-heat-used-to-be-just-a-southern-problem-not-anymore/
Stifling prison heat used to be just a Southern problem. Not anymore. • Louisiana Illuminator
lailluminator.com
While sweltering heat in prisons without air conditioning has long been an issue in the South, extreme heat waves worsened by climate change are expanding the problem into Northern states.The criminal legal system’s dependence on life sentences disregards research showing that extreme sentences are not an effective public safety solution.
www.sentencingproject.org
One in 6 people in prison–nearly 200,000 people–are serving life sentences. This report examines the prevalence of life sentences nationwide.
