Maryland
Maryland’s step backwards in criminal justice for kids | READER COMMENTARY
Nicole D. Porter’s recent commentary correctly nailed why the terrible legislation on criminal “justice” recently passed in the Maryland General Assembly and fails to provide safety or justice, particularly with regard to children (“Maryland lawmakers worsened criminal justice in three ways this year,” May 10).
Gov. Wes Moore should have vetoed House Bill 814, a hastily cobbled-together bill. I’m particularly confused and saddened by the difference between Moore’s campaign rhetoric (“No child left behind!”) and his support of a bill that allows 10-to-12-year-olds to be incarcerated for minor offenses and put in jail before court, rather than giving them and their families the therapeutic and educational support that has shown to work.
Governor Moore should be ending archaic policies like automatically charging children as adults, rather than supporting legislation like H.B. 814. He can do better and we need better policies for a safer, more just Maryland that cares about all of its children.
— Dr. Anna Rubin, Columbia
The writer is a member of the Maryland Youth Justice Coalition.
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A University of Maryland (UMD) football player was arrested for harassment, according to the Harford County Sheriff’s Office.
Dontay Joyner, a defensive back and rising senior at UMD, was charged with telephone misuse for making repeated calls, electronic communications harassment, and violating release conditions, a misdemeanor offense, according to court records.
Joyner’s attorney is calling the ordeal “outrageous,” saying “[Joyner] has been locked in a cage in Harford County for seven nights after being charged with a misdemeanor for telephone misuse for texting his longtime girlfriend during an argument. This is simply outrageous.”
Joyner’s attorney, Former Attorney General Douglas Gansler, said the 21-year-old has never been in trouble with the law and does not own a handgun. According to Gansler, Joyner’s girlfriend is “fully supportive of him and does not want to press charges.”
According to the UMD Terps website, Joyner is a Lakeland, Florida, native who previously attended Arkansas State. In the spring, Joyner was given the Nick Cross Defensive Back Award in a tradition that honors “past terrapin greats.”
According to court records, Joyner was held without bond.
WJZ has reached out to UMD officials for comment.
In Maryland, residents can find parades, concerts, history programs, fireworks, volunteer opportunities and family-friendly celebrations leading up to Independence Day.
America250, the national semiquincentennial initiative, is encouraging communities to take part through local commemorations, block parties, service projects and July 4 events. State and local commissions, historical societies, museums, libraries, parks departments and civic groups are also hosting events tied to the milestone.
Open primaries advocate Jeremy Gruber says nearly 100,000 independent voters in D.C. remain locked out of primary elections despite voters overwhelmingly approving open primaries in 2024. On The Final 5 with Jim Lokay, he blames the D.C. Council for refusing to fund the change and says similar efforts are gaining momentum in Maryland, where more than one million independents are also excluded from primaries. Gruber argues that in many one-party jurisdictions, the primary is effectively the election, making voter access even more critical.
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