* Warning: This is an unofficial, introductory copy of the bill.
The official copy considered by the City Council is the first reader copy.
Introductory*
City of Baltimore
Council Bill R
(Resolution)
Introduced by: President Mosby
A Resolution Entitled
A Council Resolution concerning
title
Request for State Action - Elimination of Home Detention Monitoring Fees
For the purpose of calling on the General Assembly to pass and the Governor to sign legislation eliminating home detention monitoring fees as a matter of fundamental fairness during these economically-challenging times.
body
Recitals
For the 10% of Marylanders living below the federal poverty line, the management and repayment of even small debts can be a major challenge. This challenge is further exacerbated for those with a criminal record, a significant barrier to employment. However, despite these known obstacles, those who interact with the criminal justice system are levied with fees and other criminal justice system fines in order to access pretrial release. While Maryland has moved away from the “cash bail” system, other forms of release are still similarly situated. Simply put, there are still significant fees related to pretrial release and heavy fines allocated to those who fail to comply with their pretrial release conditions without any regard for the defendant’s ability to pay.
Studies show that 80-85% of those who are released have debt due to fees incurred while incarcerated, which includes fees for electronic monitoring, home detention monitoring and GPS monitoring. This translates into approximately 10 million individuals who owe more than $50 billion in debt that is likely to never be repaid due to f...
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