Over the weekend, The Baltimore Sun covered new state laws that will allow individuals to have non-convictions and certain minor offenses (including those that are no longer crimes) removed from their records. It can be difficult for individuals with criminal records to find jobs—even if the charges were dropped or the offense minor. “Studies show […]
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OSI-Baltimore in the news
Monday, September 28, 2015On Friday, the Baltimore Sun published a news story about the first round of grants from OSI-Baltimore’s Baltimore Justice Fund. It included an interview with OSI Fellow Lawrence Brown, whose organization, You’re the Quarterback, received a $25,000 grant. “We’re going to take those resources and use them right away,” said Brown, whose program, the story notes, has served 125 […]
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Return criminal justice to the community
Friday, September 25, 2015Al Jazeera America recently ran an op-ed by Laura I. Appleman, associate dean of faculty research and a professor of law at Willamette University. In the op-ed, Appleman writes about the harm done when the voice of the community is removed from the criminal justice system. This exclusion of the public, she says, “is draining […]
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OSI-Baltimore fellow Zina Makar’s bail reform efforts makes headlines
Thursday, September 24, 2015OSI-Baltimore community fellow Zina Makar has been working with the Baltimore City Public Defender’s office to represent poor defendants by employing the power of habeas corpus—a legal procedure that keeps governments from holding people indefinitely without showing cause–and advocate for bail reform generally. Her work was mentioned in two City Paper stories. One piece, by the paper’s […]
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#100Women100Miles arrives in Washington D.C. to greet the Pope
Wednesday, September 23, 2015A group of 100 women who marched 100 miles from an immigration detention facility in York, Pennsylvania to Washington D.C. to greet the Pope arrived at the White House today. OSI-Baltimore had the honor of hosting the women, organized by We Belong Together, for dinner during their stop in Baltimore. After the meal at First Unitarian […]
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Welcome to the Baltimore Justice Report
Tuesday, September 22, 2015As you may have noticed, our home page has a new section called the Baltimore Justice Report. Since the death of the Freddie Gray and the uprising that followed, OSI-Baltimore has worked to support the blooming local movement that, in connection with the broader Black Lives Matter movement, is looking for ways to address long-ignored […]
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Gov. Hogan cites Bard Early College High School in Sun op-ed about plans for Baltimore City
Friday, September 18, 2015Governor Larry Hogan has an op-ed in the Sun today, “The economic engine of Maryland,” in which he lays out his plans for Baltimore City, perhaps responding to criticism, fueled by his canceling the Red Line and cutting city education funding, that he isn’t concerned about Baltimore. “Over the next several months, my administration will announce […]
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The Sun’s Justin George on the underpinnings of crime
Friday, September 18, 2015Baltimore Sun crime reporter Justin George is interviewed in this Q and A from the Trace. George recognizes that the issues of crime and gun violence are intertwined with poverty and inequality in the city. These problems are systemic and complex—even if we stemmed the tide of guns, he says, “entire blocks are vacant, and […]
