* 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: Councilmember Henry
A Resolution Entitled
A Council Resolution concerning
title
Honoring Dr. Elizabeth Vartkessian
For the purpose of congratulating Dr. Elizabeth Vartkessian on her work with ARC, Inc. and welcoming the J.M. Kaplan Fund to Baltimore City.
body
Recitals
Whereas, The United States incarcerates more people than any other country, and examining who is incarcerated in our nation highlights serious injustices in the system:
· Racial disparities: African Americans and Hispanics made up 56% of all incarcerated people in 2015, while comprising just 32% of the US population.
· Mental illness: In 2012, there were estimated to be 356,268 inmates with severe mental illness in prisons and jails, more than ten times the 35,000 patients with severe mental illness in state psychiatric hospitals.
· Poverty: Recent studies have shown that the pre-incarcerated median annual income for those imprisoned is 41% less than for non-incarcerated people.
Whereas, The practice of life history investigation disrupts the systematic dehumanization of defendants by providing a detailed picture of their lives so that decision-makers such as prosecutors, judges, and juries have the opportunity to base their judgments on a view of the accused as a whole person, not just on the worst set of facts available.
Whereas, Dr. Elizabeth Vartkessian has worked as a life history investigator with defense teams throughout the United St...
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