BALTIMORE, Md. – Maryland Public Defender Natasha Dartigue issued the following statement in response to the Commission on Juvenile Justice Reform’s recommendation that Maryland end the practice of automatically charging children as adults:
“Today marks a pivotal moment in our ongoing effort to create a more just and effective system for Maryland’s youth. The Commission’s recommendation to end automatic charging of children as adults is a critical step toward aligning our laws with decades of research on adolescent development and what truly works to promote public safety.
The automatic charging of children in adult court has disproportionately impacted children of color and failed to improve community safety. Maryland casts a much wider net than ‘only the most violent offenders,’ by automatically charging children with a broad range of 33 offenses. Research consistently shows that children prosecuted as adults are more likely to reoffend and face harsher long-term consequences…