New DPA Office Works for Reform in Maryland

Drug Policy Alliance focused on criminal justice policy reform in Maryland during the 2006 legislative session, which ended April 10. A new local DPA office is now laying the groundwork to return to the state legislature in 2007 with an even stronger impact.

DPA's new DC metro area office worked on three priority bills this year with a coalition that included Justice Maryland, a state-based grassroots group; Justice Policy Institute, a national organization which does research and media work  to support sentencing and drug policy reform; and the Maryland Office of the Public Defenders, which provides statewide indigent defense. The coalition, called the Campaign for Treatment Not Incarceration, focused its 2006 legislative efforts on sentencing reform and voting rights. None of the bills passed, but the coalition's work educating legislators and getting media coverage around the state helped create dialogue about the need for reform. This heightened awareness will position the issues to be revisited in the 2007 legislative session.

HB 603, sponsored by Del. Salima Marriot, would have automatically restored voting rights to people who have completed their sentence for a felony conviction. Right now, the process of regaining the ability to vote in Maryland is so punitive and confusing that it disenfranchises more than 140,000 residents who should have a voice in the democratic process, 60% of whom are African American.

According to a July 2002 Harris Interactive poll, 80% of Americans believe that all people who have completed their sentences should have the right to vote. The same poll found that over 60% of Americans believe that citizens on probation or parole should have the right to vote. The Campaign for Treatment Not Incarceration will work over the next year to help Maryland law move into step with the wishes of voters on this issue.

HB 877, sponsored by Del. Darryl Kelley, and SB 592, sponsored by Sen. Ralph Hughes, would both have restored some decision-making power to judges during sentencing. These bills would have given judges the discretion to suspend a portion or all of a mandatory minimum sentence on a case-by-case basis. The bill also sought to make people sentenced under a mandatory sentence eligible for parole.

In addition to this coalition work, DPA also focused on other Maryland bills this year. Naomi Long, director of DPA's new office, submitted written and oral testimony in support of House Bill 656, a successful procedural clarification for judges on the 2004 Treatment Not Incarceration bill. The bill unanimously passed both houses and was signed into law by the governor. In 2004, the Bureau of Justice Statistics reported that Maryland was one of 11 states that experienced a decline in its prison population, and most of the reduction was drug prisoners.

The DC metropolitan area office also partnered with Americans for Safe Access (ASA) on medical marijuana legislation, which would have  removed the criminal conviction for patients who successfully offer a medical necessity defense under Maryland's current Compassionate Use Act. Though the legislation did not pass, DPA and ASA are committed to making sure patients in Maryland have the protections that they deserve.

DPA also worked successfully to block bad legislation. This included a bill that would have created drug-free zones within 1,000 feet of community or recreation centers, despite overwhelming evidence showing that school zones are ineffective and racist.

All this work in Maryland was made possible by the opening of the new District of Columbia metropolitan area DPA office. Over the next year, the office will be building its presence in Maryland so it can contribute to even greater reforms in 2007. If you would like to be involved, please contact the office director, Naomi Long.