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Baltimore will no longer prosecute drug possession, prostitution, low-level crimes
A year ago, as the coronavirus began to spread across Maryland, Baltimore State's Attorney Marilyn Mosby stopped prosecuting drug possession, prostitution, minor traffic violations and other low-level offenses, a move aimed at curbing Covid-19's spread behind bars.
That shift — repeated by prosecutors in many other cities — didn't just reduce jail populations. In Baltimore, nearly all categories of crime have since declined, confirming to Mosby what she and criminal justice experts have argued for years: Crackdowns on quality-of-life crimes are not necessary for stopping more serious crime.
On Friday, Mosby announced that she was making her pandemic experiment permanent, saying Baltimore — for decades notorious for runaway violence and rough policing — had become a case study in criminal justice reform.
Also at WBAL-TV.
(Score: 2, Insightful) by why_percent on Sunday March 28 2021, @01:41AM (1 child)
This is bad. Most demand for drugs from outside city limits. Users facing decreased risk of legal consequences will increase the trafficking of narcotics. Organized crime will increase production. Marijuana is one thing--mostly commercialized in the area--but Baltimore is a heroin hub. Users steal and commit crime to feed their habit. Police looking the other way will also destigmatize heroin. Surrounding areas will see increase in users. Heroin is highly addictive and much cheaper--and now easier to obtain--than pharmaceutical opiates. These measures are accelerating a problem.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday March 29 2021, @07:30AM
Case in point: Montana Senator Steve
MillerDaines, waxing nostalgic [thedailybeast.com] for the days when all the Meth in Montana was Made in Montana" [madeinmontanausa.com]. I remember those days. That was some pretty bad Meth.