News from the Center for Criminal Justice Reform

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December 2024

It has been a busy

and impactful fall

at CCJR!

We are excited to share some updates and to thank and connect with our partners across the country and state. 

We've included links below to several recent presentations and an upcoming event.

Onward!

Criminal Legal Reform in the 2025 Legislative Session: Center Hosts Advocates' Retreats

The Center for Criminal Justice Reform teamed up with a powerful coalition of organizations to host two events at the University of Baltimore School of Law to prepare for advancing criminal legal reform in the Maryland General Assembly’s 2025 legislative session.

The Steering Committee, comprising CCJR, Advance Maryland, the ACLU of Maryland, Out for Justice, Job Opportunities Task Force, Leaders of a Beautiful Struggle, Maryland Alliance for Justice Reform, Maryland Office of the Public Defender, and Justice Policy Institute, represent a broad-based coalition of community leaders including directly impacted Marylanders, legal services providers, researchers and policy experts committed to advancing evidence-based policies that improve community safety and well-being while also addressing the systems’ inequities and harms. First was an all-day convening at the law school in October -- full agenda here -- bringing together a diverse array of 270 registrants throughout the DMV to:

discuss the dominant narratives currently shaping policymakers’ and the public's perceptions, and develop a shared community safety narrative reflecting shared values and facts;
reach across issue area silos to learn more about current criminal justice reform campaigns and areas of potential rollbacks to existing reforms; and;
deepen our coordination and collaboration as policy advocates, service providers, and community leaders, led by and continually informed by directly impacted voices.

Building off of the October retreat and lessons learned from last session, in November CCJR hosted a follow-up, roll-up-your-sleeves working session to continue building cohesion across the advocacy community, identifying key messages on priority legislation, and counteracting harmful public-safety narratives impacting numerous issues and bills.

Spotlight on Faculty Director David Jaros

Professor David Jaros, who serves as CCJR’s faculty director, was included in The Daily Record’s prestigious 2024 Criminal Law Power List.

In addition to teaching Evidence, Criminal Law, and Introduction to Lawyering Skills, Jaros teaches key topics to the Maryland Judiciary in their training academy. He has taught at UBalt Law since 2010 and has received multiple teaching awards from students and colleagues.

A former pubic defender and legal director at the Bronx Defenders in New York City, Jaros regularly translates complex legal issues for the media and public, including recent coverage concerning the Maryland Supreme Court’s decision regarding Adnan Syed’s vacatur hearing, the arrest of Maryland native Luigi Mangione following the killing of the United Healthcare CEO, and a range of other high-profile and complex matters.

Making History in the Work to Address Mass Incarceration in MD

CCJR is proud to serve on the executive committee of the Maryland Equitable Justice Collaborative, convened by the Maryland Office of the Public Defender and Office of the Attorney General, alongside numerous partners throughout the state.

On Dec. 12, after months of rigorous work, MEJC approved 18 recommendations aimed at tackling mass incarceration and its pervasive racial disparities in Maryland. Read more about the proposals and this historic partnership.

In addition to its role in MEJC’s efforts to produce policy solutions, CCJR is committed to using a full range of tools needed to uplift the urgency and human impact of this work. In 2024 the Center co-hosted two powerful MEJC film screenings and community dialogues: Ava Duvernay’s documentary "13th" and partnered with A24 Films to host the Maryland premiere of the critically acclaimed "Sing Sing."

CCJR was also proud to partner on another historic event earlier this year, convening a group of directly impacted leaders and other partners to advise the Moore administration on the mass pardon of 175,000 cannabis-related convictions.

We were honored to be included in the governor’s press conference, at which CCJR Executive Director Heather Warnken took the opportunity to shed light on how much further this work must go and the importance of the administration using its clemency power in broader, more impactful ways. Listen to her remarks.

Experiential Learning

at the CCJR

This semester, CCJR Student Fellow Regan Thorp played an important role supporting key areas of the Center’s work, including research surrounding law enforcement practices in hospitals and protecting the rights of patients impacted by gun violence, as well as policies impacting conditions of confinement and protecting the rights of trans and nonbinary incarcerated Marylanders.

CCJR continues its partnership with the Maryland Office of the Public Defender’s Decarceration Initiative, placing law students with volunteer attorneys working on Juvenile Restoration Act cases, and it is proud to again facilitate UBalt Law’s participation in DC Justice Lab’s second annual Gilbert Policy Competition.

CCJR Legal Fellow Flannery Gallagher and Executive Director Heather Warnken also teamed up with the law school’s Criminal Defense and Advocacy Clinic to participate in seminars devoted to addressing criminal legal challenges at the systemic level and supporting diverse career paths for law students who are passionate about this work.

Partnering to Address Gun Violence and Support CVI Throughout the U.S.

CCJR participated in a series of events throughout the fall devoted to ending the scourge of gun violence through Community Violence Intervention and related work. In October, Executive Director Heather Warnken presented a webinar for the Joyce Foundation that was attended by advocates and policymakers throughout the United States. The webinar, "Funding Safety: Crises and Opportunities For Violence Prevention Efforts," was presented with NYU Marron Institute Fellow John Maki.

In September, Warnken participated in two events. She spoke at the Center for American Progress' 10th Annual Gun Violence Prevention Summit, on a panel titled “Scaling Impact: How Local, State and Federal Offices of Violence Prevention Confront Gun Violence" (watch the video). She also participated in the Giffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence Symposium, “Paths Forward from the Age of Gun Violence: Industry Accountability and the Modern Second Amendment,” at the University at Buffalo School of Law.

Warnken presented in a panel discussion on “Multidisciplinary Efforts to Combat Gun Violence,” during which she shared non-carceral strategies to address violence rooted in healing, community resources and support.

Over the summer Warnken teamed up with E. Ruebman, of the Community-Based Public Safety Collective, and Ben “Taco” Owens for “The Intersection of Victim/Survivor Services in Community Violence Intervention,” one of the highest-rated sessions at the national Giffords CVI Conference in Los Angeles.

Read a recap of this presentation and impactful conference.

Pushing Back on Regressive Narratives; Championing Evidence-Based Policymaking and Community Safety for All

Beyond the intensive narrative work at our recent advocacy retreats, CCJR has been busy working with partners across the country to push back on regressive narratives and harmful media coverage that too often stand in the way of justice reform. This fall we partnered with the Maryland Youth Justice Coalition and 220 other signatories on an open letter to Maryland Gov. Wes Moore expressing our strong support for the administration to stay the course in implementing a research-backed, equitable, community-centered approach to youth justice, and for DJS Secretary Vincent Schiraldi's leadership in that work. Full text and list of signatories.

Relatedly, we are grateful to The Sentencing Project for its new report, “The Real Cost of ‘Bad News’: How Misinformation is Undermining Youth Justice Policy in Baltimore,” revealing how media reporting is misleading residents and fueling poor public policy. The report includes recommendations relevant across the country and a roadmap for undertaking similar analysis in your city or state.

Center News and Notes

In November, CCJR partnered with the Fines and Fees Justice Center to host a roundtable at the law school, bringing together experts, advocates and other stakeholders to discuss important issues surrounding fines and fees in Maryland. Attendees celebrated recent legislative victories, strengthened collaboration, and identified priorities and opportunities for upcoming fines and fees reforms.

In October, CCJR joined UBalt Law’s Center for Families, Children and the Courts at its powerful annual symposium promoting youth justice. Executive Director Heather Warnken participated in a panel, “Fostering Youth Connections to Community During Reentry.” Watch the panel and full symposium.

In September, Warnken attended Color of Change’s annual Prosecutorial Accountability Convening in New Orleans, LA, and participated in a session on “Strategies for Holding Punitive Prosecutors Accountable.” CCJR also attended Life After Release’s annual Post Conviction Forum, “Beyond the Verdict,” where Warnken joined members of the U.S. DOJ Office of the Pardon Attorney for a panel titled, “Federal Clemency, Pardons and Commutations.”

CCJR is honored to participate in the Smithsonian’s upcoming Day of Action at the National Portrait Gallery, an event designed to support the next generation in realizing their capacity to confront injustice and effect change. Join us on Jan. 26, 2025, as we honor activists and changemakers portrayed in the museum’s exhibition Struggle for Justice, and create connections between history and the contemporary challenges we face.