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Governor's Office of Crime Prevention and Policy

Prison Education Delivery Reform Commission

Background

The Prison Education Delivery Reform Commission was established by Senate Bill 623 (2024) - PDF to develop recommendations on how education can improve outcomes within Maryland's criminal justice system.

Commission Responsibilities

The Commission is responsible for:

  • Convening an advisory stakeholder group that includes organizations with expertise in:
    • Criminal justice policy reform.
    • Advocacy for individuals with learning disabilities and people from historically underserved communities.
    • Restorative justice.
    • Peer recovery and support services.
  • Working with the advisory stakeholder group, including holding public roundtable discussions throughout Maryland to gather community input.
  • Developing a statewide, education-focused framework that uses data-driven strategies to improve public safety and reduce recidivism among adults involved in the criminal justice system.
  • Researching best practices in primary, secondary, postsecondary, career, and vocational education for people involved in the adult and juvenile justice systems.
  • Identifying education-based strategies that reduce risk factors associated with involvement in the criminal justice system.
  • Evaluating workforce development programs available to incarcerated individuals and assessing how effectively those programs prepare participants for jobs that provide a living wage.
  • Requesting technical assistance from organizations with expertise in criminal justice reform and education, including:
    • The Abell Foundation
    • The Annie E. Casey Foundation
    • The Council of State Governments
    • The Vera Institute of Justice
    • The Coalition on Adult Basic Education
    • RAND
    • Other organizations with similar expertise

Membership

  • Dr. Charles B. Adams, Professor and Chair, Department of Criminal Justice, Founding Executive Director of the Institute for Restorative Justice and Practices & Co-Director of the Prison Education Program at Bowie State University
  • Dr. Andrea Cantora, Director of Higher Education in Prison, University System of Maryland
  • Meredith Conde, Director of Operations and Prison Affairs, Goucher Prison Education Partnership
  • Dr. Natasha Cornell, Director of Academic Affairs, Maryland Higher Education Commission
  • Danielle Cox, Director of Education, Maryland Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services
  • Del. Elizabeth Embry, Esq., District 43A
  • John Feaster III, Deputy Assistant Secretary, Maryland Department of Labor
  • Jamel Freeman, Dual Diagnostic Trainee and Alcohol and Drug Trainee
  • Mary Gable, Assistant State Superintendent for the Division of Academic Policy and Innovation, Maryland State Department of Education
  • Christian Gant, Assistant Attorney General, Maryland Office of the Attorney General
  • Karen Esterque, Senior Manager of Human Resources, Recidiviz
  • Initia Lettau, Chief Attorney, Office of the Public Defender, Post-Conviction Division
  • Judge Marc Desimone, Circuit Court for Baltimore County
  • Amanda Owens, Program Officer for Criminal Justice & Addiction, Abell Foundation
  • Gordon Pack, Reentry Coordinator, EMBRACE Resource and Reentry Center
  • Del. Cheryl Pasteur, District 11A
  • Dr. David Pinder, Superintendent, Juvenile Services Education Program
  • Ramieka Robinson, Senior Site Director, Goucher Prison Education Partnership
  • Del. Karen Simpson, District 3A

Documents