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Stop SB 122: Maryland's Draconian & Racist Crime Bill

Tell your Maryland Delegates to oppose SB 122

SB 122 is a draconian crime bill that increases penalties and prison time for a number of offenses by creating mandatory minimums. We know that this is an ineffective crime fighting strategy, and one that disproportionately affects people of color. Maryland should be leading the way forward with progressive, compassionate criminal justice reform. Instead, SB 122 is leading us backwards.

The bill would also increase the use of so-called predictive policing tools. This is a disaster for civil rights and civil liberties, putting people under suspicion based on the actions of others. And again, these tools would only reinforce the racism already inherent in our criminal justice system.

Stop SB 122!

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Maryland State Delegates

Subject: Oppose SB 122 - Comprehensive Crime Bill

Message:

I oppose the Maryland Comprehensive Crime Bill of 2018 because it is deeply flawed and contains constitutionally suspect measures. In addition, I object to the way the 50-page long, complex bill has been hurried through the process with little time for evaluation of its provisions. And, the proposals in the bill are not backed up by any evidence that they will make Marylanders any safer. Despite the claims of the bill's supporters, the sentence enhancements in the bill are really mandatory minimums, which resurrect failed policies of the past that do not enhance public safety. We know that longer sentences harm individuals and communities, and can even increase recidivism. Maryland should be at the forefront of progressive, enlightened criminal justice reform, we should not be leading the way backward. The bill will exacerbate racial and ethnic disparities in the use of prison. We know that the brunt of these policy choices will disproportionately impact communities of color. Studies have repeatedly shown that people of color are impacted more significantly at every level of the justice system for similar offenses. Data reviewed by the Justice Reinvestment Coordinating Council (JRCC) showed that while African Americans are 30 percent of Maryland's overall population, they are 70 percent of the prison population, and 8 out of 10 people in the state sentenced to prison under the mandatory minimum drug laws prior to passage of the Justice Reinvestment Act (JRA) were African American. This is not acceptable to me. I am concerned about the predictive policing and technology based approaches, as envisioned for the "Strategic Decision Support Center." These methods are at once unproven crime fighting tools, and shown to disproportionately impact people and communities of color. I am also deeply concerned that the bill would expand the allowable conditions for wiretapping and expanded appeals for inclusion of evidence and property illegally, or even unconstitutionally, obtained or seized. For these reasons, I urge you to oppose SB122.

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