In a significant move towards fostering equitable justice in Maryland, APDM has taken on the role of grant administrator for the Maryland Equitable Justice Collaborative (MEJC). This initiative marks a pivotal moment in the quest for a more equitable and fair justice system in Maryland. APDM administers MEJC’s first private grant, from the Action Now Initiative, an affiliate of the Arnold Foundation.
Understanding the Maryland Equitable Justice Collaborative
The Maryland Equitable Justice Collaborative (MEJC) is a joint initiative led by the Office of the Attorney General (OAG) and the Maryland Office of the Public Defender (MOPD) in partnership with the Judge Alexander Williams Center for Education, Justice & Ethics at the University of Maryland, College Park, and the Bowie State University Institute for Restorative Justice (USM). The mission of MEJC is to address the racial disparities in the incarceration of African Americans and other marginalized groups in Maryland prisons and jails. With a prison population that is 71% African American, despite only 31% of the general population being African American, Maryland has the most racially disparate prison population in the country. Underlying these disparities are disproportionate rates of youth incarceration and of longer prison terms.
MEJC seeks to identify, research, and tackle key factors that lead and contribute to over-incarceration and its overwhelmingly disparate effect on persons of color and disadvantaged communities. It operates through seven work groups focused on root causes of the crisis: criminal law and sentencing reform; education, workforce development and economic opportunity; health and human services; law enforcement policies and practices; prison, jail and detention facilities reform; promoting successful reentry and preventing reincarceration; and youth justice reform.
The Importance of Collaboration
MEJC brings together experts from the criminal justice system, academia, government, and the community to identify causes of the mass incarceration crisis and develop a strategy for reform. The goal of these reforms is to both reduce the rate of incarceration and to uplift those who have been marginalized. To help amplify the voices of the people and communities most impacted, a portion of the Action Now funding is dedicated to providing stipends to people with lived experience, who have been incarcerated or have incarcerated loved ones. Far too often, people with the most direct expertise about the impact of incarceration, and are still experiencing the economic barriers caused by incarceration, are expected to provide their expertise about the system voluntarily while working side by side with paid professionals. These stipends are an important component of furthering the equity goals of the collaborative.
APDM’s Role and Responsibilities
As the administrator of MEJC’s philanthropic support, APDM is poised to play a crucial role in coordinating the Collaboration's activities. The funding will support critical efforts to MEJC’s success, including: event support, stipends for participants with lived experience, report development and research support.
Looking Ahead
MEJC is developing a comprehensive plan for reform, with a report due to be released in January 2025 that will detail and explain the root causes of Maryland’s incarceration crisis. The report will include recommendations for key government, community, and private sector stakeholders to help solve the mass incarceration crisis. Following the release of the report, MEJC will advocate for the adoption of the recommendations.
APDM will support the education and outreach of the report and its recommendations, as well as research and lived expertise for future recommendations and advocacy. To learn more about MEJC visit its website: mejc.maryland.gov. If you are interested in receiving updates from the Collaborative, you can signup for its listserv here. To join a work group, sign up to volunteer here.
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