Bill Would Allow Video, Audio Recording by Officers
Bill Would Remove Governor from Decision-Making on Parole for Lifers
About 2,100 People Serving Life Sentences in State are Eligible for Parole
Md. Rep. Ruppersberger Proposes Changes to NSA Data Collection
Maryland Rep. Dutch Ruppersberger unveiled a bipartisan bill Tuesday that would end the mass collection of metadata and instead allow the government to order communication companies to search their files for more specific information.
Legalization Bill Would Wipe Slate Clean For Some Past Offenders
The legalization bill before Maryland lawmakers delves into an area left untouched by the laws in Colorado and Washington, where legalization has created a paradoxical scenario for people dealing with the consequences of having once been convicted of an offense that is no longer against the law.
Bethesda Lawyer Grappling with Balance Between National Security and Privacy
David Medine is chairman of the Privacy and Civil Liberties Board, a small government board tasked with weighing the balance between national security and Americans’ privacy.
Package of Bills Aims to Protect Technological Privacy of Marylanders
The ACLU testified in favor of four bills that would limit law enforcement use of technologies including drones, as well as cellphone and license-plate tracking.
Women Entering Prison at Higher Rates
Women are entering the U.S. prison system at a faster rate than any other group, and they face an array of issues that male inmates don’t, including pregnancy and higher rates of mental health issues.
Maryland Immigrant Advocacy Groups Consider State Legislation Following Rally
Almost 20,000 people gathered for the Camino Americano immigration rally on the National Mall Tuesday to pressure Congress into passing comprehensive legislation this year.
O’Malley Assigns Group to Investigate Abuses at Crownsville State Hospital
At the direction of Gov. Martin O’Malley, a group headed by an academic researcher will investigate decades of abuse endured by African American patients at the Crownsville State Hospital. Citizens and civil rights activists spoke at Wednesday’s Legislative Black Caucus hearing of a long history of mistreatment of Crownsville patients due to overcrowding, underfunding, and inadequate staffing at the facility, which was founded in 1911 as the Hospital for the Negro Insane and closed in 2004.
U.S. Justice Department Issues Letters Supporting Citizens Recording Police Officers
The Department of Justice issued two letters to Maryland courts supporting constitutional rights of citizens recording police officers in their official capacities.