Maryland

FAMM’s General Counsel Mary Price to testify before Maryland Senate Judiciary Committee about medical and geriatric parole

For Media Inquiries:
Tripp Laino, 202-999-4273
tlaino@famm.org

FAMM’s General Counsel Mary Price to testify before Maryland Senate Judiciary Committee about medical and geriatric parole

ANNAPOLIS – FAMM’s General Counsel Mary Price will testify before Maryland’s Senate Judiciary Committee in favor of Senate Bill 98, legislation to improve medical and geriatric parole programs on Wednesday, February 8.

“Maryland’s medical and geriatric parole programs are broken,” Price said. “Just 86 of 339 requests for medical parole were approved between 2015 and 2020 – including during the depths of the pandemic – there’s a glaring need for improvement to the system. Senate Bill 98 would correct many of the issues FAMM identified as barriers to parole for dying, debilitated and aging people in Maryland’s prisons. We urge the Senate Judiciary Committee to pass it.”

Price is the author of “Everywhere and Nowhere: Compassionate Release in the States,” based on comprehensive research into medical and compassionate release programs across the United States. Last year, FAMM released an update on that report, and issued report cards for every state’s compassionate release programs. Maryland received the third worst grade in the nation.

For more than three decades, FAMM has united the voices of affected families, the formerly incarcerated, and a range of stakeholders and advocates to fight for a more fair and effective justice system. FAMM has led the fight to reform extreme mandatory sentencing laws and to promote rehabilitation and dignity for all people in prison, 94 percent of whom will return to our neighborhoods one day.

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FAMM is a national nonpartisan advocacy organization that promotes fair and effective criminal justice policies that safely reduce incarceration, save taxpayer dollars, and keep families together. Founded in 1991, FAMM has secured bold sentencing and prison reform across the country while elevating the voices of directly impacted individuals and families.