Maryland Must Support Women in the Justice System
Dear Friends and Neighbors,
With everything happening across the country it can be hard at times to focus on what is happening right here in Maryland.
Yet times like these, remind us of a broader truth; accountability, dignity, and respect for constitutional rights must guide every part of our justice system and the everyday laws and policies affecting people’s lives.
As a candidate for the Maryland General Assembly, I believe our justice system must promote public safety, family stability, and human dignity at all levels of government.
This week, I am focusing on one clear and actionable step Maryland can take to live up to those values - passage of Senate Bill (SB) 187 the Correctional Services, Comprehensive Rehabilitative Prerelease Services for Female Incarcerated Individuals.
Women in the criminal justice system face unique challenges. They are often older, survivors of physical or sexual trauma, and have often entered the system through abusive or coercive relationships. Effective reentry services must therefore be gender-responsive, trauma-informed, and evidence-based.
Maryland closed its only women’s prerelease center in 2009. Since then, about 1,500 women have been released without adequate preparation, facing minimal support for housing, employment, and family reunification.
In 2021, the legislature passed the Gender-Responsive Prerelease Act mandating the establishment of a women’s prerelease center in Baltimore by 2023. To date, the state has not complied with that statute.
Maryland’s long-standing failure to provide community-based prerelease services for incarcerated women, while providing at least 9 such centers for men, has had serious consequences for families and communities across our state.
Passage of SB 187 would establish a dedicated women’s prerelease facility with no fiscal impact for the next three years, as planning and design are already fully funded. I also support proposed amendments that ensure proper location and capacity, facilitate service transfers, prevent the mixing of women with men in prerelease programs, and restore the bill subtitle - The Monica Cooper Prerelease Act.
This bill represents an important step toward meeting the state’s obligations and providing gender-responsive support for women in prerelease programs.
A hearing on SB 187 is scheduled for tomorrow, January 28, at 11:00 a.m. in the Judicial Proceedings Committee. Passing this bill is essential to rebuilding lives, strengthening families, and creating safer communities.
Maryland’s incarcerated women, their children, their families, and their communities have waited too long. Once elected, I will continue fighting for a justice system that reflects our shared values of dignity, accountability, and respect.
If you’d like to share your thoughts or concerns, you can always reach me at tazeen@tazeenformaryland.com.
Thank you for being part of a community that believes in something better and for helping turn those values into action.
With heart and purpose,
Tazeen Ahmad
Candidate for Delegate
Leading with Heart, Delivering with Purpose