Friend,

Last week, Maryland General Assembly leaders announced their plan to address concerns about teenagers who commit crimes.

Unfortunately, they did not consult experts in youth justice and child development, and instead proposed a bill that ignores what over 20 years of data, experience and research show are the most effective ways to hold kids accountable, change behavior, and improve public safety. We know that incarcerating kids makes them more likely to be arrested for new offenses, not less. We also know that overall youth crime rates are down, and that many of the challenges our communities and kids are experiencing are due to system failures – kids can’t succeed without the tools and services they need.

Instead of fixing the system, the legislation introduced last week will see thousands more kids incarcerated every year, particularly Black and brown children.

Our kids shouldn’t pay the price for a broken system. Our children and our communities need your help to push back against this plan and ask your legislators to pursue proven solutions.

Here’s how you can help:

1. Join other youth advocates at the Day of Action: Justice for Children & Incarcerated Marylanders on Monday, February 19th! We’ll gather with other community members for a dinner orientation, rally at the state house, and then you can meet directly with your legislators and talk to them about what our kids and communities actually need. RSVP now >>>