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On The Record

Maryland officials band together to reduce racial disparities in incarceration

By Sheilah Kast,
Maureen Harvie
Published November 2, 2023 at 11:00 AM EDT
Attorney General Anthony Brown and Public Defender Natasha Dartigue announced the creation of the Maryland Equitable Justice Collaborative (MEJC), a new initiative dedicated to reducing the mass incarceration of African Americans and other marginalized groups in Maryland prisons and jails. The goal is to examine the scope and causes of this crisis, and to develop a comprehensive plan for reform and recommendations by January 2025.
Attorney General Anthony Brown and Public Defender Natasha Dartigue announced the creation of the Maryland Equitable Justice Collaborative (MEJC), a new initiative dedicated to reducing the mass incarceration of African Americans and other marginalized groups in Maryland prisons and jails. The goal is to develop a comprehensive plan for reform and recommendations by January 2025. Credit: Maryland AG/Flickr. Licensed under CC-by-2.0.

It’s the highest disparity of any state in the union: about 30 percent of Maryland’s residents are African-American. Yet African Americans are 71 percent of those behind bars.

A new partnership between the Maryland Attorney General and Maryland Public Defender, called the "Maryland Equitable Justice Collaborative," takes aim at reducing mass incarceration of African Americans in Maryland.

We speak with Attorney General Anthony Brown and Public Defender Natasha Dartigue about the MEJC's goals.

The MEJC will hold a public forum on November 6th in Baltimore. Details here.

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On The Record WYPR ProgramsOn the RecordMaryland Attorney General Anthony BrownMaryland Office of the Public DefenderCriminal Justiceracial disparities
Sheilah Kast
Sheilah Kast is the host of On The Record, Monday-Friday, 9:30-10:00 am.
See stories by Sheilah Kast
Maureen Harvie
Maureen Harvie is Senior Supervising Producer for On the Record. She is a graduate of the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, and joined WYPR in 2014 as an intern for the newsroom. Whether coordinating live election night coverage, capturing the sounds of a roller derby scrimmage, interviewing veterans, or booking local authors, she is always on the lookout for the next story.
See stories by Maureen Harvie