The Second Look Act — a bill that would expand release options for Marylanders in prison who have served 20 or more years in confinement for crimes they were convicted for before turning 26 — passed the House of Delegates 89-49.
While there are many arguments in support of the bill, such as brain development, some legislators note this bill advances justice and addresses racial disparities.
“The Second Look Act is a bill in the interest of justice,” said Del. Jheanelle Wilkins (D-District 20), chair of the Legislative Black Caucus of Maryland, in a statement submitted to The Informer. “Black residents are 39% of Maryland’s population but 71% of our prisons. Black and Latino residents are sentenced to longer terms of confinement than any other group.”
This bill was a priority of the Legislative Black Caucus, with nearly 40 House members of the Caucus co-sponsoring the bill.
While the majority of delegates voted in favor of the legislation, some Democrats, including Economic Matters Chair C.T. Wilson (D-District 28), voted against it.
Maryland Republicans, including Delegate Jesse Pippy (R-District 4), offered numerous amendments to limit the type of offenders who qualify for eventual release, with those amendments dying by floor vote.
Now, the bill will advance to the Maryland Senate for consideration.
“I look forward to taking this bill up with my Senate colleagues,” said Sen. Charles Sydnor III (D-District 44), the Senate’s lead sponsor of the bill, in a statement. “The bill represents a compassionate and common-sense approach to justice, one that supports the goals of tackling public safety and historical racial inequities.”
As the bill is written, about 350 people imprisoned in Maryland would qualify to petition for release, according to House Judiciary Chairman Luke Clippinger (D-District 46).
Some mental health and sociology experts believe the brain finishes developing around the age of 25.
Delegate Cheryl Pasteur (D-District 11), who is the first African-American legislator to represent her legislative district in Annapolis, sponsored the bill and was an ardent defender of the legislation during floor discussion.
“I know that so many of the young people who ended up in prison who fall under this bill are not the worst of the worst,” Pasteur said. “My commitment is that, long as I draw breath in God’s world, I will commit to an organization to support every person who comes out on Second Look. … No one should come out of prison and be alone.”
This bill is particularly significant as Maryland has one of the highest incarceration rates for young Black men in the nation.
“Maryland locks up more young Black men than any other state in the union,” Wilkins emphasized. “Knowing what we know about race in sentencing, the Second Look Act is an important and necessary step towards justice.”