Criminal Justice

We continue our coverage in the wake of the Boston Marathon bombings. We discuss the relationship between 19-year old Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, who is in custody, and being questioned, and his older brother Tamerlan, who was killed by authorities.

Some see Baltimore’s ‘blue light’ crime cameras as a marker, lighting up the lines around high-crime neighborhoods. For residents living among them, the cameras can be either a welcome crime deterrent--or an affront to their privacy and integrity.

On the Lines Between Us, we'll hear from the director of the Baltimore Police CitiWatch program, a city councilman who wants more cameras for his district, and artists who have addressed life among the cameras—and the police presence that attends them.

April 1, 2013

No one in Baltimore has more power to enforce the law than Police Commissioner Anthony Batts and State's Attorney Gregg Bernstein.  Commissioner Batts has been in the job since November; State’s Attorney Bernstein just over two years. 

Sheilah talks with both of them.

March 27, 2013

On April 3, 1982, Stephanie Roper, a student at Frostburg State University, was kidnapped, raped, and then murdered while home on break in Prince George’s County. Two men were tried for the crime; one was convicted, the other pled guilty.

Web Extra: On helping the victims of Dr. Nikita Levy, the Johns Hopkins gynecologist accused of filming his patients

Web Extra: Should what the MCVRC does be done by a governmental organization?

The Justice Policy Institute, a Washington-based organization that supports lowering the nation's incarceration rate, says five states have reduced youth confinement by more than 50 percent over the last decade. What practices did they implement to achieve these results, and what's being done in Maryland? Our guests: Spike Bradford, senior research analyst for the Justice Policy Institute; and Scott Beal, executive director of community services for the Maryland Department of Juvenile Services.

March 18, 2013

Last week, the commissioner  demanded a full review of how city police officers use their weapons following the accidental shooting of a Baltimore Police Academy trainee. Batts joins Midday to discuss that matter and other challenges he's discovered since taking over for Frederick Bealefeld last fall.

February 6, 2012

January 29, 2013

The state plans to build a new 120-bed jail to house juvenile offenders charged as adults in Baltimore; that's scaled down from an original 180-bed plan. Advocates would like to see it scaled down to zero. We'll look into whether there's a path in Annapolis to stopping construction and devoting resources to programs like rec centers and school construction.

In the wake of the Connecticut elementary school massacre, once again the cry goes up: "We need to talk about mental health!" But...how do we talk about it?