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Panel hears proposal to let judges use probation-before-judgment for defendants with autism or intellectual disability
Summary
The Maryland House Judiciary Committee heard testimony on HB 940, a bill sponsored by Delegate Kaufman that would require courts to consider probation-before-judgment (PBJ) for defendants diagnosed with autism or intellectual disability while preserving public-safety and victim input requirements.
Delegate Dana Kaufman introduced HB 940 and asked the committee for a favorable report on a bill he said was brought at the request of the Autism Society. The measure would require courts to consider placing defendants diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder or an intellectual disability on probation before judgment, rather than entering a conviction, where doing so is consistent with public safety and the views of the state’s attorney and the victim or the victim’s representative. “The bill recognizes that not all people with intellectual and developmental disabilities are incompetent to stand trial but their disability should still be considered before sentencing,”…
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