Roya’s Crime Plan
Key Issues
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Violent Crime Plan
The certainty of conviction is critical in preventing violent crime. We can build stronger cases and get violent repeat offenders off the streets.
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Community Business Taskforce
A Community Business Taskforce to specifically address the issues facing all our businesses, including small entrepreneurs.
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Restructure the Juvenile Division
Studies have shown that the most effective way to close the cradle-to-prison pipeline is to intervene at the onset of delinquent behavior. It takes a village to save our kids.
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Low-Level Offenses, Diversion, and Community Service
Substance abuse treatment and community service are paths toward healing our city.
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Independent Investigations and Prosecution of Police Misconduct Cases
There needs to be more separation and objectivity when it comes to investigating and prosecuting police misconduct cases in order to restore community trust and establish a working relationship between the State’s Attorney’s Office and the police department.
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Gun Offender Deterrence Program
Guns offenses are killing our city. Every effort must be made to reduce gun crimes.
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Ending Human Trafficking
Due to its location and access to I-95, Baltimore is a hotbed of human trafficking activity. It is important to prosecute hotel owners and managers who knowingly allow this to happen and do nothing to stop it.
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Women’s Empowerment Court
It is estimated that between 80% and 90% of incarcerated women have been victims of domestic or sexual abuse. For eligible women who are placed on probation and whose history indicates that they would benefit from the service, a women’s court could assist them in overcoming trauma and abuse.
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Establish Comprehensive Reentry Plans
Preventing recidivism must be part of the State’s Attorney’s commitment to public safety, so connecting offenders with groups that provide housing assistance, job training, mental health services, and classes on establishing a small business are crucial.
Violent Crime
The certainty of conviction is critical to preventing violent crime. This year to date, for every felony conviction the state has obtained, it dismissed three felony cases. These are cases that the office screened and chose to indict. To avoid this, the office needs to have better training and more resources devoted to the prosecution of crime. To increase the conviction rate, there are several steps that we can take.
Expanded intake unit – The central booking intake unit reviews charging documents for legal sufficiency. If they reviewed the case with an eye toward making the case provable beyond a reasonable doubt, we could increase the conviction rate.
Training – The State’s Attorney’s Office has many young attorneys who receive insufficient training. When prosecutors start, they are trained on the basics but receive no training on how to present evidence and utilize it effectively or how to present complicated evidence such as DNA. I would work to develop a training program to address these issues.
Complex investigations – We must work with police to utilize more complicated investigations such as wiretaps. Digital evidence is some of the strongest that law enforcement has to offer, and we need to utilize it more effectively.
Cooperation agreements – We should make deals with lower-level offenders and codefendants so we can build stronger cases against violent repeat offenders.
Witness intimidation elimination – We can combat witness intimidation by making sure that it is prosecuted to the fullest extent possible and publicizing what happens to those who try to intimidate witnesses.
Community-Business Taskforce
Jobs are a public safety issue. Baltimore needs to send a message to the world that we are open for business and that every city agency is here to support its activities and growth. Without our businesses, growth is limited and crime increases. Currently, there are only specially assigned prosecutors for the tourist locations, stadiums, and casino districts. Local businesses are the backbone of our community and deserve more consideration. I will establish a Community-Business Taskforce to specifically address the issues facing all our businesses, The task force not only addresses thefts and commercial robberies but deal with the quality of life issues that affect businesses’ success.
The business task force would work closely with owners to develop a more efficient system for appearances in court to minimize disruption to the businesses.
Gun Offender Deterrence Program
Gun offenses affect our city on a daily basis. Under my administration Gun Crime will mean Jail time. Every gun offense will be handled by a seasoned prosecutor with the necessary experience to win the case. I will work with our Federal partners to make sure that those that illegally carry guns in our city are prosecuted in the jurisdiction where the defendant will receive the most time.
Work with Parole and Probation to Establish a Comprehensive Reentry Plan
Preventing recidivism must be part of the State’s Attorney’s commitment to public safety. There are many community groups offering reentry services. Offenders often have a difficult time accessing these services. I would establish mandatory reentry fairs where offenders can connect to groups that provide housing assistance, job training, mental health services, and classes on establishing a small business.
Independent Investigations and Prosecution of Police Misconduct Cases
Many community leaders have stated that there needs to be more separation and objectivity when it comes to prosecuting police misconduct cases. I would work with the State Prosecutor's Office to expand their role and have them take on more investigations and prosecutions of the police officers who commit wrongdoing. This separation may help preserve community trust and address concerns about internal dealing or favoritism. It is important to have an outside agency involved in the investigation and prosecution of police so that there is no bias or political motivation.
Establish an Early Intervention unit. Studies have shown that the most effective way to close the cradle-to-prison pipeline is to intervene at the onset of delinquent behavior. If training and counseling are provided at the first sign of delinquency, which is often truancy, the child often does not escalate his or her delinquent behavior. A comprehensive truancy program will combat juvenile crime. I will also develop a comprehensive restorative justice program so that the youth can fully appreciate the impact of their activities.
Restructure the Juvenile Division
End Human Trafficking
Due to its location and access to I-95, Baltimore is a hotbed of human trafficking activity.
The federal government has much higher penalties for human trafficking than Maryland does. Where appropriate, we can work with the federal government to ensure that traffickers are prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.
Human traffickers often sell drugs as well. I would establish a system to identify those groups that do both and ask for harsher sentences for drug dealers involved in human trafficking.
Maryland’s human trafficking law makes it a crime to benefit financially from trafficking. I intend to prosecute the hotel owners and managers who knowingly allow these women to be victimized and do nothing to stop it.
Low-Level Offenses, Diversion, and Community Service
Community service workers can assist with programs that rehab houses and clean and revitalize the community and our parks. We have known for years that mass incarceration does not work; similarly, probation is of limited value.
Offenders need to be held accountable for their actions, but that accountability does not have to be life-altering. A study conducted in Philadelphia found that in areas where windows and doors were replaced on vacant houses and vacant lots were improved, gun crime was reduced by 39%. For every dollar the city invested in fixing houses, it saved five dollars in gun crime costs. The return on investment for improving vacant lots was $26 for every dollar spent. A program like Philadelphia’s would allow offenders to repay their debt to society in a constructive manner.
With more prosecutors in central booking, they will be available to make immediate and binding offers for low-level, non-victim crimes for offenders who have a minimal record. Having prosecutors negotiate immediate and fair offers benefits both defendants and the community. Defendants could avoid the possibility of incarceration by enrolling in a substance abuse treatment program or completing a substantial number of community service hours.
Women’s Empowerment Court
Women respond better to treatment that is gender-specific and focused on trauma and domestic and sexual abuse. Not only are the needs of women different, but there are also different resources available to assist women. Women often avoid treatment or drop out because of the need to take care of others. For eligible women who are placed on probation and whose history indicates that they would benefit from the service, I would like to establish a women’s court. Like a mental health court where those involved report periodically and are monitored, this court would monitor certain women offenders to assist them in overcoming issues of abuse.
The number of incarcerated women is growing at twice the rate of incarcerated men. There are eight times more women in prison now than there were 40 years ago. While studies vary, it is estimated that between 80% and 90% of incarcerated women have been victims of domestic or sexual abuse. In Baltimore, not only are we seeing more women victims of homicide, but we are also seeing more women incarcerated.
We have also seen several high-profile incidents of child abuse involving women. Women are charged with child abuse more than men, likely because they are the principal caregivers of children. Often the abuse stems from mental health issues that may be the result of prior trauma.
LET’S MAKE A DIFFERNECE
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