Maryland is one of the more corrupt states in the nation, according to a survey of journalists who cover statehouses across the country.
The General Assembly pulled in the worst score possible, a 5 (“extremely common”) on the Corruption in America survey’s scale of 1-5. The executive branch wasn’t far behind, rating a 4 (“very common”).
Before going any further, it needs to be clarified that the Institute for Corruption Studies, located at Illinois State University, issues six ratings for each state — two for the executive branch, two for the legislative and two for the judicial. In each case, the researchers distinguish between “illegal corruption” and “legal corruption.”
The researchers behind the work define illegal corruption as “the private gains in the form of cash or gifts by a government official, in exchange for providing specific benefits to private individuals or groups.” They define legal corruption as “the political gains in the form of campaign contributions or endorsements by a government official, in exchange for providing specific benefits to private individuals or groups, be it by explicit or implicit understanding.”
The numbers cited above are Maryland’s legal corruption scores. The state’s judiciary rated a 2 (“slightly common”).
Click here to read the rest of the article written by Bruce DePuyt over at Maryland Matters