Legal aid clinic offers job, expungement help as new laws expand eligibility

Albert Gary loved working as a bouncer. “People got to know me. I got to know people,” said Gary, 39, of Baltimore. Now, he said, he misses the work, because well-paying nightclub security positions have increasingly required guards to carry firearms, and his criminal record prevents him from getting a license to carry.

Legislation would update Justice Reinvestment Act

After a comprehensive law overhauled the state’s criminal justice system, Maryland has seen a decline in the state’s prison and jail populations and more streamlined treatment for addicts who are charged with crimes, but advocates want to add to the law to keep inmates from returning behind bars.

House Committee Hears Bills on Decriminalization, Legalization of Marijuana

Other Bills Would Change College Sexual Assault Policies, Reform Rape-Kit Processing

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.