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| Bills to help ex-offenders, certain criminals getting support in General Assembly chambers |
| By therepublic.com- Meredith Somers |
| Published: 04/06/2015 |
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ANNAPOLIS, Maryland — Bills giving law-breakers a chance to get back on their feet are making progress in the Maryland General Assembly — and with bipartisan support. Some of the legislation still being considered this session would restore voting rights to ex-felons as soon as they are released from behind bars; expunge a record of a crime that is no longer a crime; create a pilot program for small businesses run by ex-offenders; remove mandatory minimum sentences for certain drug offenders; review Maryland's criminal justice system. "This is the opposite of throwing away the key," said Jamie Raskin, a Democratic senator from Montgomery County, who is the lead sponsor on a bill that would shield certain nonviolent offenses from public eyes. "This is using the key to open a door to a new future." Raskin said he's seen support from both sides of the aisle for legislation to thin prisons and help re-assimilate some ex-offenders, because "these are our people across the board." Read More. |
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