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Maryland’s prisons are Black. Really Black. As a matter of fact, Maryland has more Black people in its prisons than any other state in the nation. The rate is even worse than the states further South by far, which people might imagine would look worse.
According to the Baltimore Sun, a Justice Policy Institute report highlights that “More than 70% of Maryland’s prison population was black in 2018, compared with 31% of the state population, according to the report.” This greatly exceeds even the national average and shows that Maryland has a major race problem.
Even though Maryland’s prison population has dropped significantly for the first time in decades, it’s clear disparities are still a major hurdle for the state. The Baltimore Sun also notes “Young black men, incarcerated for long prison terms from 18 to 24 years old, are driving the current disparity.”
In order to address the problem, the Justice Policy Institute report suggests a better handling of cases pertaining to “emerging adults.” These cases are sensitive due to the fact that developmentally, young adults are similar to teenagers.
While reformers push to try to address these problems and others, it’s important to note that Black people are not in prison more because we’re more criminal. These problems have much more to do with systemic issues than they do with blaming those who fall victim.