PSA for passing the JRA
Maryland has one of the worst criminal justice records in the nation. Juvenile life sentences disproportionately affect black people. 83% of juvenile lifers in Maryland are black, in a state that is 30% black by population. 70% of the Maryland prison population is black. Maryland incarcerates more black people than any other state in our country. Maryland needs a complete overhaul of its criminal justice system, but to start, it can pass the JRA and end the practice of sentencing children to die in prison.
Challenge
The state of Maryland is the only state in the mid-Atlantic region to sentence juveniles to life without parole, even though the practice was unconstitutional. It also has one of the highest percentages of black inmates, and black juvenile inmates sentenced to life without parole. A bill, the Juvenile Restoration Act (JRA), came before the State House of Representatives on January 21, 2021 to end the practice of life without parole sentencing for juveniles. Our client, Maryland Juvenile Justice Coalition, wanted to make sure legislators knew people supported their passing the JRA.
Solution
We created a short PSA style video narrated by celebrity talent to use on social media to drive people to let their legislators know they support the JRA.
Impact
This video helped the effort to pass The Justice Reinvestment Act of 2016 (JRA), which was passed finally by both houses of the Maryland General Assembly, effective 4/6/16. While the 2016 JRA bill is not perfect, its many important reforms could reduce Maryland’s prison population by 16% and save $270 million within 10 years.
This project was produced by Variant Strategies for MD Juvenile Justice Coalition.