Too often, policies and workplace practices act as barriers to residents with criminal records seeking to rebuild their lives. The economy will not achieve its full potential unless all residents are able to participate.
MDCEP works with partners around Maryland to ensure that law enforcement and economic development work hand in hand, rather than at cross purposes.
- Related News and Resources
Under-funding Public Defenders Harms Maryland’s Justice System
Anyone who is facing criminal charges, has a Constitutional right to legal representation. However, having a lawyer who has time to learn the facts of the case and provide an adequate defense is becoming less of a right and more of a privilege of the well-off.
- Budget and Tax Publications
Baltimore City Fiscal Year 2023 Budget Toolkit
Baltimore City FY23 Budget As the 2022 budget process gets underway, city residents have an opportunity tonight to weigh in on the city’s preliminary budget.
Legislative Session Brought a Wide Range of Policies that Will Improve Well-Being for Children and Families
The 2022 Maryland legislative session saw the passage of several bills that will increase economic security and improve the wellbeing of children and families. Legislators not only passed the Time to Care Act, which will provide paid family and medical leave to all working Marylanders, but also bills that will help the child care sector recover from the pandemic, ensure that undocumented mothers and their babies have access to medical care, and bolster economic and housing supports, among others.
Budgeting for Opportunity: Our Shared Investments Can Build Safe, Just, Thriving Communities
It is more critical than ever that Maryland undertake serious review of its spending on incarceration and other parts of the criminal legal system. Our latest report outlines how changing our approach to the state’s criminal legal system would open new opportunities to build stronger communities.
We Need Action to Advance Anti-Racist Policies. Here Are Some Ideas.
“I can’t breathe.” We know this simple phrase as the last words of George Floyd and Eric Garner, both while being slowly asphyxiated by police officers 1,200 miles and six years apart. That truth alone is devastating. But it is so much more than that.
Removing barriers to opportunity for formerly incarcerated people benefits all Marylanders
Every Marylander should have the chance to achieve their full potential. However, Marylanders with a criminal record often face significant barriers to accessing education, employment, housing, and other resources that are essential for them to thrive, even after they have completed their sentences.
Maryland Needs to Invest in Working Families to Support a Thriving Economy
While our state’s overall economy is stronger, a decade after the Great Recession many working Marylanders’ paychecks have not fully recovered from the impact of the recession. Median earnings within Maryland are now 3.1 percent lower than in 2007, after adjusting for inflation.