Legislation & Testimony
Criminal Justice
Testimony to Maryland House of Delegates on Fixing Parole Fee Exemption System
Testimony before the Maryland House of Delegates’ Judiciary Committee in support of a bill that would ensure that indigent parolees are exempt from paying a supervision fee.
Authored by: Rebekah Diller, submitted to the Maryland House of Delegates Judiciary Committee
– 03/01/11
Statement by Nicole Austin-Hillery on the Senate passage of the Fair Sentencing Act
The Brennan Center has supported a complete elimination of the inequalities in sentencing for crack and powder cocaine offenses, and is hopeful that the Senate Passage of the Fair Sentencing Act (at a reduced, but not eliminated ratio) will not be the final chapter in the overall fight to bring about parity in sentencing and an ending to this type of discrimination.
Authored by: Nicole Austin-Hillery
– 03/18/10
Testimony in Maryland House of Delegates in Support of Bill to Ease Burden of Criminal Justice Fees
Testimony before the Maryland House of Delegates’ Judiciary Committee in support of bill to fix exemption program for parole supervision fee.
Authored by: Rebekah Diller, before the Maryland House of Delgates Judiciary Committee
– 03/16/10
Testimony in Maryland Senate Supporting Bill to Ease Burden of Fees on Indigent Parolees
Testimony before the Maryland Senate’s Judicial Proceedings Committee in support of bill to fix exemption program for parole supervision fee.
Authored by: Rebekah Diller, before the Marlyand Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee
– 03/02/10
Community Oriented Defender (COD) Statement of Principles
Developed by the Brennan Center in consultation with members of the COD advisory group, this COD Statement of Principles identifies the goals of participants in the COD Network. We hope it will serve as a useful tool to inspire staff, educate the public, and build the capacity of the COD movement to make a difference for clients, families and communities.
– 02/04/10
Testimony on Community Oriented Defenders in Maryland
This testimony is to provide a national perspective on the community oriented defense movement; also why the state should applaud the Office of the Maryland Public Defender’s commitment to the provision of high quality defender services, through its creation of Neighborhood Defenders Northwest.
Authored by: Melanca Clark
– 10/27/09
Testimony in Support of Massachusetts Racial Profiling Legislation
Testimony before the General Court of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in support of state legislation aimed at improving collection and analysis of data on racial profiling.
Authored by: Melanca Clark
– 10/27/09
Nicole M. Austin-Hillery Before Senate Committee on the Judiciary
Testimony given before Subcommittee on Crime and Drugs strongly supports efforts to end disparities between crack and powder cocaine sentencing.
– 04/29/09
Melanca Clark Before House Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism and Homeland Security
Testimony submitted as part of a coalition of advocates coordinated under the umbrella of the Michigan Campaign for Justice. The hearing was titled: “Representation of Indigent Defendants in Criminal Cases: A Constitutional Crisis in Michigan and Other States?”
Authored by: Melanca D. Clark
– 03/26/09
Letter to FCC Urging Action on Outstanding Petition
Letter to the FCC urges the Commission to take action on an outstanding petition to address the harm caused by high phone rates charged to people in prison.
Authored by: Melanca Clark and Laura Abel
– 12/04/08