Maryland
Speaker Jones: ‘We aren’t going to deny children their constitutional rights’ – Maryland Matters
As Maryland lawmakers take on criticism for a proposed juvenile justice reform bill, House Speaker Adrienne A. Jones (D-Baltimore County) testified Thursday in its support.
Jones, who rarely appears at bill hearings, spoke first before a packed Judiciary Committee room on House Bill 814 – Juvenile Law Reform. She expressed some frustration at how the legislation has been characterized by critics.
“I brought this bill forward because our juvenile system is clearly failing a small set of children who are repeat offenders. They are not monsters or teen villains,” she said. “They’re children and they are increasingly calling out for our help because they are not getting the services they need.”
Jones continued: “I know this bill is going to disappoint both sides of the debate, and I’m comfortable with that reality. What I’m not comfortable with is the way the debate around this bill…has been framed. In fact, I’m incredibly disappointed. We aren’t going to deny children their constitutional rights.”
Jones’ presence at Thursday’s marathon hearing represents lawmakers’ willingness to tweak the current juvenile justice system to combine rehabilitation with accountability. While she possesses plenty of political clout within the General Assembly, the question is how much weight she carries with the general public, many of whom call crime their top worry and are seeking tougher penalties for juvenile offenders.
The speaker has said the legislature won’t roll back juvenile justice reform measures that the legislature passed in 2022, but instead would work this year to improve the overall system.
The state Department of Juvenile Services (DJS), which oversees programs for troubled youth, has been criticized by some state’s attorneys, law enforcement officials and residents for not doing enough to help those young people and their families.
Del. Luke Clippinger (D-Baltimore City), chair of the Judiciary Committee, which reviewed the legislation for slightly more than five hours Thursday, said the proposed juvenile bill would require a review of data relating to arrests, completion of programs and recidivism from the Maryland Longitudinal Data System Center.
The legislation would also require the Commission on Juvenile Justice Reform and Emerging and Best Practices to complete several tasks such as reviewing the department’s education and diversionary programs, researching evidence-based programs and reviewing fatalities that involve children under the supervision of DJS. That commission was established by the 2022 legislation but hasn’t been fully seated.
The bill would more than double the number of members on the commission to include representatives with the state Department of Health, a private child welfare agency, the state Department of Education and Department of State Police.
“I believe this is sorely needed,” Clippinger said about the commission.
Alice Wilkerson, executive director of Advance Maryland, a nonprofit organization that assists other groups with advocacy efforts, praised the bill for including a commission.
But that’s where the compliments on the bill ended.
Wilkerson, who appeared on behalf of the Maryland Youth Justice Coalition, joined at least two dozen criminal justice advocates, lawyers and residents who testified against the legislation. A committee’s speaker list showed a total of 80 people who offered written or oral testimony opposing the measure.
“This bill will exacerbate racial disparities,” Wilkerson told the committee. “How will this improve safety? Will this lead to positive behavioral change? This legislation will grow the juvenile justice system, placing further personnel and budget strain on DJS that will lead to more cuts to services and programs.”
‘Fear, rather than evidence’
Maryland Public Defender Natasha Dartigue led those who opposed the bill who raised one central question: Where’s the data?
They were criticizing a part of the bill that would allow the Department of Juvenile Services to send to juvenile court children as young as 10 who have been arrested for serious offenses, including those involving a firearm, motor vehicle theft, animal abuse, or a third-degree sexual offense.
Alycia Capozello, deputy district public defender in Baltimore, speaks against juvenile justice legislation before the House Judiciary Committee on Feb. 8, 2024. Maryland Public Defender Natasha Dartigue, center, listens. Photo by William J. Ford.
According to the Department of Juvenile Services, complaints for youth under age 13 decreased by nearly 1,100 in fiscal year 2022 to 301 last fiscal year. Those complaints include crimes of violence, misdemeanors and Children in Need of Supervision referrals, which involve youths who need guidance, treatment, or rehabilitation.
“Proponents of the bill have alluded that the intent is to improve public safety. The impact of the bill is it that will impact it will incarcerate more Black children in marginalized communities,” Dartigue said. “We must base our discussions on facts, data and the evidence-based information. Despite the intent of public safety, House Bill 814 raises concerns about the perpetuation of systemic biases and the potential for decisions based on fear, rather than evidence.”
Montgomery County State’s Attorney John McCarthy (D), who spoke in support of the legislation, cited some figures from the county’s police department.
Larceny arrests of juveniles decreased from 387 in 2019 to 128 last year; arrests for disorderly conduct went down from 32 in 2019 to five last year.
McCarthy said the numbers of more serious crimes by juveniles in his jurisdiction increased, such as shootings from 16 in 2019 to 40 last year, and auto thefts from 44 to 364. He also discussed those figures at a Jan. 17 briefing before the Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee.
“There have been declines in crime, but when it comes to violent crime and the crime that people care about, the numbers are exploding,” McCarthy said.
Some of the same people who testified Thursday may return to Annapolis on Friday because the Senate version legislation will be discussed before the Judicial Proceedings Committee.
One of the most unique ships featured in Sail250 Maryland and Airshow Baltimore can be found docked at the Baltimore Peninsula.
USS Marinette LCS25 is one of the most functional ships in the Navy fleet. At 370 feet long with 80 crew members, the ship has a helicopter landing pad and hangar, two rib boats in the belly of the vessel, and heavy artillery, including a cannon.
The ship has four engines, two of which are like jet engines, meaning it can sprint ahead of other vessels to intercept watercraft. It can also truck side to side and spin 360 degrees with controllable reversing and steering deflector buckets attached to the stern of the jet propulsion system. It can also traverse the littoral zones, water close to shore, and navigate waters as low as 15 feet deep.
“Where we shine is our ability to operate where other ships can’t,” said Cdr. Brian Sims, the ship’s executive officer. “For a 370-foot ship, one of the smallest in the fleet, it packs a punch. We can go 40 plus knots.”
The ship is used in counternarcotics missions primarily on the East Coast and in the Caribbean.
It is based in Jacksonville, Florida, but was built in Marinette, Wisconsin, which is where the ship gets its name. It began operating in 2023 and has yet to deploy. The ship can be out on the water for weeks or even months.
“We go out and find drug trafficking individuals and intercept, and the Coast Guard then takes over and arrests,” Sims said.
The pilot house is where the ship truly shines. An officer and junior officer monitor the radar and navigation, while another sailor sits at the helm and oversees steering the vessel and monitoring the engines.
“This is a very unique design for Navy ships,” Sims added.
The ship also hosts several heavy artillery pieces, including a cannon on the bow with different types of rounds to combat different threats. It can fire 220 rounds in a minute.
With its rich Naval history, Baltimore is playing host to some of the Navy’s finest, and the crews are equally as excited to be here in Maryland, the backbone of the Navy, celebrating 250 years of American history.
“Baltimore is a fantastic city, steeped in maritime tradition. Of course, we have Fort McHenry that we sailed past and rendered honors to when we arrived,” Sims said. “Having the ability to be in this role in this position on board this ship to celebrate the nation’s 250th, it’s an absolute honor, and one that, one that gives us all pause, and lets us reflect on where we’ve come as a nation.”
As Maryland families head into another hot summer, many are about to receive an unpleasant reminder of just how badly some state leaders failed to address Maryland’s growing energy problems this year.
Higher energy bills are not coming by accident. They are the predictable result of years of poor planning and a continued refusal by Democratic leadership in Annapolis to confront the real issue facing our state: Maryland does not produce enough electricity to meet its own growing energy needs.
Instead of seriously addressing that challenge during this year’s legislative session, Democratic leaders celebrated passage of the so-called Utility Relief Act (House Bill 1532), which offers Marylanders roughly $12 in savings per month. At a time when families are facing soaring energy costs driven by a massive shortage of reliable in-state power generation, that is not meaningful relief. It is a political talking point designed to avoid the larger conversation Maryland desperately needs to have.
Our state imports nearly half of the electricity it uses. Nearly half of the power keeping homes cool, businesses operating and communities functioning every day comes from outside our borders. Yet even as demand for electricity continues to rise, Maryland continues falling behind on building the reliable generation capacity needed to support our future.
That is not a serious long-term strategy.
Families across Maryland are already struggling with inflation, rising housing costs and economic uncertainty. Energy bills are becoming another major financial burden for working families, seniors and small businesses. But instead of focusing on increasing reliable power supply, meaning fully lowering consumer costs, and strengthening Maryland’s long-term energy security, Annapolis continues offering temporary fixes that fail to address the underlying problem.
The reality is simple: Maryland needs more power generation, and every responsible energy source should be part of the conversation. Natural gas, nuclear, renewables, battery storage, clean coal and emerging technologies all have a role to play in creating a more reliable and affordable energy future for our state.
Maryland also needs a broader conversation about the role experienced infrastructure providers and utilities can play in strengthening reliability and supporting future generation needs. These are organizations that already manage the systems Marylanders depend on every day and understand the long-term planning required to maintain dependable service.
Reliable and affordable energy is not a partisan issue. It is a basic requirement for economic growth, business investment and everyday quality of life.
As summer begins and air conditioners start running around the clock, Maryland families will once again be reminded that energy policy decisions made in Annapolis have real world consequences.
Unfortunately, they are paying for those consequences every month.
Del. Jason Buckel is the Minority Leader of the Maryland House of Delegates and represents Allegany County in the Maryland General Assembly.
MARYLAND (WBFF) — A group of Republican candidates, a voter, and an election-integrity organization are asking an Anne Arundel County Circuit Court judge to stop the state from certifying primary election results until election officials contact every voter whose original ballot was rejected and allow them to correct the problem.
The lawsuit, filed in Anne Arundel County Circuit Court against the Maryland State Board of Elections, comes a month after state election officials acknowledged that some Maryland voters were mistakenly mailed ballots for the wrong political party and sent replacement ballots to affected voters.
The ballot error affected voters who requested physical mail-in ballots for the June 23 primaries.
The Maryland State Board of Elections said its vendor, Taylor Print and Visual Impressions Inc. (TPVI), mailed some of the voters’ ballots for the wrong political party, but the administrator said the board’s vendor couldn’t identify which voters received erroneous ballots. Over 500,000 Maryland voters had requested mail-in ballots, most of them in Montgomery, Baltimore, Anne Arundel and Prince George’s counties, and Baltimore City.
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