Maryland 2025 Regular Session

Maryland Senate Bill SB694 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

Old	New	Differences
1	1
2	2
3	3	EXPLANATION: CAPITALS INDICATE MAT TER ADDED TO EXISTIN G LAW.
4	4	[Brackets] indicate matter deleted from existing law.
5	5	sb0694
6	6
7	7	SENATE BILL 694
8	8	E5 5lr3271
9	9	CF 5lr3278
10	10	By: Senators Love, Benson, Hettleman, and Muse
11	11	Introduced and read first time: January 26, 2025
12	12	Assigned to: Judicial Proceedings
13	13
14	14	A BILL ENTITLED
15	15
16	16	AN ACT concerning 1
17	17
18	18	Correctional Services – Assessment of State Correctional System 2
19	19
20	20	FOR the purpose of requiring the Office of the Correctional Ombudsman to engage an 3
21	21	independent consultant to perform a certain assessment of the State’s correctional 4
22	22	system at a certain time; altering the items required to be included in a certain 5
23	23	annual report of the Office; and generally relating to the State Correctional System. 6
24	24
25	25	BY repealing and reenacting, without amendments, 7
26	26	Article – State Government 8
27	27	Section 9–4001(a) and (e) 9
28	28	Annotated Code of Maryland 10
29	29	(2021 Replacement Volume and 2024 Supplement) 11
30	30
31	31	BY repealing and reenacting, with amendments, 12
32	32	Article – State Government 13
33	33	Section 9–4006 14
34	34	Annotated Code of Maryland 15
35	35	(2021 Replacement Volume and 2024 Supplement) 16
36	36
37	37	BY adding to 17
38	38	Article – State Government 18
39	39	Section 9–4009 19
40	40	Annotated Code of Maryland 20
41	41	(2021 Replacement Volume and 2024 Supplement) 21
42	42
43	43	SECTION 1. BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF MARYLAND, 22
44	44	That the Laws of Maryland read as follows: 23
45	45
46	46	Article – State Government 24
47	47
48	48	9–4001. 25 2 SENATE BILL 694
49	49
50	50
51	51
52	52	(a) In this subtitle the following words have the meanings indicated. 1
53	53
54	54	(e) “Office” means the Office of the Correctional Ombudsman. 2
55	55
56	56	9–4006. 3
57	57
58	58	(a) On or before December 31 each year, the Office shall report to the Governor 4
59	59	and, in accordance with § 2–1257 of this article, the General Assembly on: 5
60	60
61	61	(1) investigations conducted by the Office; 6
62	62
63	63	(2) any actions taken by an agency as a result of the conclusions or 7
64	64	recommendations of the Office; 8
65	65
66	66	(3) any instance where an agency rejects a recommendation or conclusion 9
67	67	of the Office; [and] 10
68	68
69	69	(4) information on any death of an individual confined by or under the care 11
70	70	of an agency; AND 12
71	71
72	72	(5) THE STATUS OF COMPLETION , RESULTS, AND STATUS OF 13
73	73	IMPLEMENTATION OF RE COMMENDATIONS OF THE ASSESSMENT RE QUIRED UNDER 14
74	74	§ 9–4009 OF THIS SUBTITLE . 15
75	75
76	76	(b) In addition to the report required by subsection (a) of this section, the Office 16
77	77	shall provide to the Governor and, in accordance with § 2–1257 of this article, the General 17
78	78	Assembly any other reports that the Governor or the General Assembly may require. 18
79	79
80	80	(c) A report prepared under this section shall be published on the Office’s website. 19
81	81
82	82	9–4009. 20
83	83
84	84	(A) ON OR BEFORE OCTOBER 1, 2026, THE OFFICE SHALL ENGAGE A N 21
85	85	INDEPENDENT CONSULTANT TO PERFOR M A COMPREHENSIVE AS SESSMENT OF THE 22
86	86	STATE’S CORRECTION AL SYSTEM. 23
87	87
88	88	(B) THE ASSESSMENT REQUIR ED UNDER SUBSECTION (A) OF THIS SECTION 24
89	89	SHALL: 25
90	90
91	91	(1) ADDRESS THE FOLLOWIN G ISSUES: 26
92	92
93	93	(I) INFRASTRUCTURE , INCLUDING: 27
94	94
95	95	1. FACILITY LAYOUT ; 28 SENATE BILL 694 3
96	96
97	97
98	98
99	99	2. CELL DESIGN; 1
100	100
101	101	3. RECREATION AND ACTIV ITY AREAS; AND 2
102	102
103	103	4. TECHNOLOGY AND SECUR ITY SYSTEMS; 3
104	104
105	105	(II) STAFFING, INCLUDING: 4
106	106
107	107	1. STAFF–TO–INCARCERATED –INDIVIDUAL RATIOS; 5
108	108
109	109	2. TRAINING PROGRAMS ; AND 6
110	110
111	111	3. STAFFING CHALLENGES ; 7
112	112
113	113	(III) PROGRAMMING , INCLUDING: 8
114	114
115	115	1. THE EFFECTIVENESS OF CURRENT OFFERINGS ; 9
116	116
117	117	2. PROGRAM ACCESSIBILIT Y; AND 10
118	118
119	119	3. PROGRAMMING GAPS; 11
120	120
121	121	(IV) MENTAL AND PHYSICAL HEALTH SERVICES , INCLUDING: 12
122	122
123	123	1. ACCESS TO CARE BY GENERAL AND SPECI AL 13
124	124	POPULATIONS ; AND 14
125	125
126	126	2. HOW MARYLAND’S CARE PRACTICES COM PARE TO 15
127	127	NATIONAL STANDARDS; AND 16
128	128
129	129	(V) RESTRICTIVE HOUSING , INCLUDING: 17
130	130
131	131	1. CONDITIONS; 18
132	132
133	133	2. CURRENT POLICIES REGARDING DURATION L IMITS, 19
134	134	OUT–OF–CELL TIME, AND CRITERIA FOR PLA CEMENT; 20
135	135
136	136	3. COMPLIANCE WITH BEST PRACTICES; AND 21
137	137
138	138	4. ALTERNATIVES TO REST RICTIVE HOUSING ; 22
139	139	4 SENATE BILL 694
140	140
141	141
142	142	(2) REFLECT THE INPUT OF STAKEHOLDER S AND INCARCERATED 1
143	143	INDIVIDUALS BY MEANS OF: 2
144	144
145	145	(I) INTERVIEWS; 3
146	146
147	147	(II) SURVEYS; AND 4
148	148
149	149	(III) PUBLIC HEARINGS ; AND 5
150	150
151	151	(3) INCLUDE: 6
152	152
153	153	(I) A COST–BENEFIT ANALYSIS THA T ADDRESSES: 7
154	154
155	155	1. THE FINANCIAL IMPACT OF IMPLEMENTING 8
156	156	REFORMS; AND 9
157	157
158	158	2. POTENTIAL COST SAVIN GS FROM REDUCED 10
159	159	RECIDIVISM AND IMPRO VED INCARCERATED INDIVID UAL OUTCOMES; 11
160	160
161	161	(II) A COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS THAT: 12
162	162
163	163	1. BENCHMARKS MARYLAND’S PRACTICES WITH THO SE 13
164	164	OF NEW YORK, NEW JERSEY, AND OTHER LEADING ST ATES TO IDENTIFY GAP S AND 14
165	165	AREAS FOR IMPROVEMEN T; AND 15
166	166
167	167	2. IDENTIFIES BEST PRACTICES THAT HAVE PROVEN 16
168	168	EFFECTIVE ELSEWHERE ; AND 17
169	169
170	170	(III) RECOMMENDATIONS AND AN IMPLEMENTATION PL AN, 18
171	171	INCLUDING: 19
172	172
173	173	1. ACTIONABLE STEPS FOR THE SHORT–, MID–, AND 20
174	174	LONG–TERM; 21
175	175
176	176	2. A REALISTIC TIMELINE FOR IMPLEMENTATION , 22
177	177	CONSIDERING FUNDING AND OPERATIONAL CONS TRAINTS; AND 23
178	178
179	179	3. MONITORING AND ONGOI NG EVALUATION . 24
180	180
181	181	(C) ON OR BEFORE OCTOBER 1, 2028, THE INDEPENDENT CONSULTANT 25
182	182	ENGAGED BY THE OFFICE UNDER SUBSECTI ON (A) OF THIS SECTION SHALL 26
183	183	COMPLETE THE ASSESSMENT AND PROVIDE THE OFFICE WITH A WRITTEN REPORT 27
184	184	OF ITS FINDINGS AND RECOMME NDATIONS. 28 SENATE BILL 694 5
185	185
186	186
187	187
188	188	SECTION 2. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That this Act shall take effect 1
189	189	October 1, 2025. 2