Dear John,

With Governor Moore’s signature, Maryland has taken a meaningful step toward advancing justice, redemption, and community safety.

This landmark legislation creates a pathway for Marylanders to petition for a judicial review after serving at least 20 years behind bars for those who committed their offense under the age of 25. It could impact at least 1,000 individuals serving parole-eligible life sentences or sentences up to 50 years or longer.

Recent polling demonstrated that 65% of Marylanders support this measure.

The Sentencing Project testified in support of the bill and partnered with state advocates and formerly incarcerated activists in the Maryland Second Look Coalition to educate lawmakers and the public on the importance of giving people serving extreme sentences a meaningful opportunity for release. Unfortunately, lawmakers amended the bill to exclude individuals sentenced to life without parole and those convicted of sex-related offenses in the final bill.

The Sentencing Project’s research and advocacy teams remain committed to fighting for second look policies nationwide that end extreme sentencing and tackle racial disparities.

We are extremely thankful to our community of donors whose support helped make this first step possible. Join us today by making a donation to support our work as we continue to advocate for meaningful change.