Second Look Act Phone Zap

Today is Sine Die - that last day of session! The Maryland Second Look Act (SB 123) was voted out of the House Judiciary Committee on Thursday. Unfortunately, a harmful amendment was included that excludes certain people from eligibility. In it’s current posture, only those who were convicted between the ages of 18-28 would be eligible for a second look. Additionally, the bill excludes those serving sentences for LWOP entirely, despite the fact that there is no specific criteria for when LWOP sentences should be levied against an individual and these sentences disproportionately impact Black and Brown people. We must urge leadership to put LWOP back in the bill and resist any further exclusionary amendments. Our stance is clear, ALL people deserve a second chance and we are incredibly disappointed by these decisions made by Judiciary.

If you have time in the next two hours, please call leadership to urge them to resist these types of amendments and put LWOP back in the bill. Please find targets and a script below.

INSTRUCTIONS:

Please use the script below as a guide, but feel free to share any personal stories/reasons for why you are making this call. Please call anytime today until the end of session tonight.

If someone doesn’t pick up the phone, please leave a message and move on to the next call on your list. Lastly, remember to thank the staff you talk to - they work hard and have fielded a lot of calls!

Contact Information and script for targets:

Targets:

Chair Luke Clippinger (Chair of House Judiciary) - (410) 841-3488
Vice Chair Sandy Bartlett (Vice Chair Judiciary) 410-841-3370
Delegate David Moon (House Majority Leader) - (410) 841-3474
Speaker Adrienne Jones (Speaker of the House) - (410) 841-3800
Chair Will Smith (Chair of JPR) - (410) 841-3634
Vice Chair Jeff Waldstreicher (Vice Chair of JPR) - (410) 841-3137
Senate President Bill Ferguson (President of the Senate) - (410) 841-3600

Script:

"Hi, my name is ____ and I am a resident in [district x].

I was very disheartened to see that the MD Second Look Act SB123 was voted out of the House Judiciary with several exclusionary amendments that limit who can apply for a second look at their sentence. I am asking the Delegate/Senator work to ensure the bill is amended so that those with a life without parole sentence ARE able to get a second look, as they were excluded in these latest amendments. It’s important that people are evaluated for who they are today and how they have changed, not the nature of their offense. Second look would be the only avenue for meaningful sentence review for those with an LWOP sentence and they should not be excluded.

You have the power to create a meaningful opportunity for sentence modification for incarcerated people who have served at least 20 years of their sentence and demonstrated their rehabilitation. This will give them hope that one day they will be able to give back to their communities and reunite with their families."