Baltimore City Prosecutor Marilyn Mosby will no longer prosecute low-level crimes: drug possession, prostitution, minor traffic violations, etc. The decision was in response to a year-long experiment to limit the spread of COVID-19 through fewer arrests. Mosby believes Charm City can function as a society without a tough crime agenda.
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“A decrease in arrests, no adverse effect on crime rates and the elimination of the systemic inequality of mass detention,” Mosby said in a statement.
“The total population in Baltimore City fell 18% during COVID. Compared to that time last year, the number of people entering the criminal justice system has decreased by 39%, ”said the Ministry of Public Security and Law Enforcement Services.
“Today America’s war on drug users in Baltimore is over,” said Mosby. “We are leaving the era of criminal prosecution and the zero-tolerance police behind us and no longer resorting to the status quo to criminalize especially colored people for addiction. We will develop sustainable solutions and enable our public health partners to do their part in the fight against mental health and substance use disorders. “
Although Mosby’s approach to criminal reform has been praised by liberals like Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott and Baltimore Police Commissioner Michael Harrison, more conservative opponents like Republican state Senator Robert Cassilly oppose the move.
“Prosecutors take an oath to uphold the Maryland Constitution, and the Constitution says that the General Assembly makes the policy, not the prosecutors,” Cassilly told the station. “I respect the prosecution’s entire discretion. This is not a discretion for the public prosecutor, it is an exercise in legislation. That is what the legislature should do. “
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