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Maryland committee hears bill to bar juveniles from sight-and-sound contact with adults in jails
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Summary
Lawmakers and advocates urged the House Judiciary Committee to approve HB 389, which would prohibit juveniles from being detained where they can see or hear incarcerated adults and align state practice with the federal JJDPA; proponents warned Maryland risks losing federal juvenile-justice funding without action.
Delegate Bartlett asked lawmakers to bring Maryland into compliance with the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act, introducing HB 389 to bar any child arrested, convicted or awaiting trial from being detained in a facility where the child "has contact or comes within sight and sound of an incarcerated adult." Bartlett told the committee the prohibition is required by the JJDPA and that Maryland faces federal funding reductions if it remains out of compliance.
Multiple witnesses — a formerly incarcerated man, human-rights advocates, county officials, the Public Defender's Office and victims'serving groups — described the risks children face in adult jails. James Dole of Human Rights for Kids said the state processes roughly 1,000 children each year through adult jails, and that a study of youth charged as adults found high rates of prior abuse and subsequent victimization in adult facilities. "We are sending already vulnerable, victimized children into facilities to be further exploited, abused, and harmed," Dole said.
County and detention officials acknowledged the harms but said practical obstacles exist. Ryan Ross, director of the Charles County Detention Center, urged the bill sponsors to remove or rethink the six-hour temporary-holding exception and asked the committee to require DJS to deliver an implementation plan by Oct. 1, 2027 that addresses judicial access and intake capacity. County representatives and the Maryland Association of Counties described efforts to create sight-and-sound separation but noted that many local facilities lack the architecture or consistent 24/7 judicial access to meet the six-hour rule.
Supporters cited prior federal notice to Maryland from the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention and a projected funding loss of about $2 million over three years if compliance is not reached. Public Defender Office witnesses and child-advocacy groups urged the committee to pass the bill and said delayed implementation (the bill is written to take effect in 2028) would give the state time to plan.
The committee heard requests for amendments to clarify narrow exceptions, implementation timelines and how higher-level statutory changes (such as automatic-charging reform) should interact with this measure. The sponsor said she is open to amendments but stressed the need for a firm plan to prevent juveniles from being housed with adults.
The committee concluded testimony and signaled ongoing negotiations over implementation detail and amendment language before any final vote.
