UPPER MARLBORO, Md. — Color of Change and Life After Release announced its new campaign surrounding the accountability of criminal cases in Prince George's County.
The organizations want to start a new court watch program in the county to hold Prince George's County State's Attorney's Office accountable for its prosecuting decisions.
The announcement features the appearance of formerly incarcerated people and several national criminal justice advocates, such as the NAAP and the Baptist Convention of DC and Vicinity.
In July 2019, the county's top prosecutor, Aisha Braveboy, reorganized the State's Attorney's Office juvenile division and directed all prosecutors to assess the possibility of diverting an accused youth offender into counseling or mental health services before moving forward with charges.
Braveboy believed the changes would "end the school to prison pipeline."
Now, these organizations are calling on Braveboy to be transparent about her reforms.
According to the organizations, Braveboy hasn't given the county an update on proposed reforms she promised during her first year in office. They said she promised an end to cash bail, a conviction integrity program, and diversion for juveniles.
"Without policy and data, it is nearly impossible to measure the success of reform or hold county officials accountable," the Color of Change and Life After Release said in a statement.
The organizations plan to file several FOIA (Freedom of Information Act) requests in an effort to demand accountability on policies that impact pretrial detention.
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