Reducing the burden of juvenile justice: Examining system reforms in Maryland

• In Event: Juvenile Courts and System Reform

Abstract

This paper will provide interim findings from an empirical assessment of 2022 legislative changes to Maryland’s juvenile justice system to reduce its burden on young system involved people. Changes included raising the minimum age of jurisdiction to 13, eliminating secure detention or commitment for most technical probation violations and misdemeanor offenses, increasing opportunities for diversion, and reducing the time periods for probation supervision. This paper examines the effects of these laws on juvenile justice processing and outcomes, in particular focusing on new limits to initial juvenile probation terms of six months for misdemeanors and 12 months for felonies. Specifically, the research will assess how the laws impacted probation terms, case volumes, and juvenile recidivism. It will do this using administrative data to document changes over time, and by applying quasi-experimental methods to assess causal impacts.

Authors

• Joel Miller, Rutgers University

• Michael Schlossman, University of Maryland, Baltimore