On April 1, the Center for Children’s Law and Policy released a comprehensive assessment of Baltimore’s efforts to divert young people away from contact with the justice system. As part of a Consent Decree with the U.S. Department of Justice, the City of Baltimore and the Baltimore Police Department (BPD) were required to conduct a review of Baltimore’s efforts to decrease young people’s involvement with the justice system. This included the barriers that exist to diverting more youth away from contact with the justice system. This assessment notes many points of strength within existing policies and programs in Baltimore, but also offers a series of recommendations to improve diversion from pre-arrest through adjudication, particularly from the lens of racial and ethnic equity.

CCLP will be in federal court in May to present its findings and recommendations. Read the report here. A press release from the City of Baltimore is available here: https://content.govdelivery.com/accounts/MDBALT/bulletins/23db6b7.