BALTIMORE — Baltimore State’s Attorney Marilyn Mosby ordered her staff Wednesday to drop all pending criminal charges against anyone arrested for drug possession, attempted distribution, prostitution, trespassing, minor traffic offenses, open container, and urinating in public.
Mosby sent also sent a letter to Governor Larry Hogan urging him to take Emergency action to close Courthouses throughout the State, and to develop decarceral guidelines for the state’s prisons and jails.
In the letter, Mosby offers her full support for the Governor and states that “with so many lives on the line, there are steps the Governor’s office can take to mitigate the spread of the virus behind prison walls.”
Mosby has announced new decarceral policies to be enacted by her office as part of the office’s commitment to preventing the spread of the coronavirus.
“As prosecutors, we are committed to protecting the safety and wellbeing of everyone in our community, and that includes people who are currently in prison or jail. I firmly believe that we can promote public health and public safety at the same time, and that’s what these new policies will achieve.”
Mosby has instructed prosecutors in Central Booking during this chaotic time to immediately dismiss any charges and release individuals arrested for the following offenses, which are nonviolent, pose no threat to public safety, and would likely result in pre-trial release:
CDS (drug) possession
Paraphernalia possession
Prostitution
Trespassing
Minor traffic offenses
Attempted distribution of drugs
Open container
Rogue and vagabond
Urinating/defecating in public
