A criminal justice bill that was supposed to significantly reduce recidivism in Maryland and sharply reduce state prison costs remained in limbo Monday amid questions about whether Senate amendments had essentially gutted the legislation.
Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller Jr. (D-Calvert) delayed a vote on the bill Monday morning after seeing an analysis of amendments to the bill that were adopted by the Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee last week. The analysis showed that under the new version, the state would save $34 million over the next 10 years instead of the nearly $250 million initially projected. Instead of dropping by about 14 percent, the prison population would grow slightly, the analysis said.
“We’re going to have to look at this very carefully,” Miller said on the Senate floor. “If we don’t have savings, what are we doing?”
After a short debate on the bill Monday night, Miller agreed to delay the measure until Wednesday, allowing time for the Legislative Black Caucus to weigh in on the legislation.