Legislation creates positive changes to juvenile justice system
In January, I submitted a letter to the editor on the topic of the 2024 Legislative Session of the Maryland General Assembly and the possibility of juvenile justice reform being enacted. Now that the session ended on April 8, I’m happy to report that juvenile law reform was one of the few “success stories” coming out of Annapolis.
The Senate and House passed juvenile law reform bills that mirror one another in the primary areas of reform. The most-promising area of reform is that the juvenile court’s jurisdiction is expanding to include children as young as 10 years old who are charged with a crime involving firearms, certain sex offenses, theft of motor vehicles and animal cruelty.
Critics might argue that charging children as young as 10 is cruel and unnecessary, but the reality is that the juvenile justice system is fashioned with the primary goal of serving the best interest of the child.
By charging a child in the juvenile system with an offense, it creates an avenue for the child to receive services that society hopes will address and rectify the behaviors attributed to the criminal behavior. It is certainly better to intervene at a young age than allow the problem to go unaddressed and have it become adult criminal behavior.
Other important juvenile reforms included in the new legislation are the expansion of probation for juvenile offenders and reporting requirements of the Department of Juvenile Services (DJS) to notify the State’s Attorney’s Office when a juvenile has allegedly committed specified firearms offenses or is alleged to have committed a new juvenile offense while already under the supervision of the DJS.
These areas of reform are important because DJS, a state agency, is often out of touch and not aligned with the beliefs and policies of residents and public officials in local jurisdictions such as Carroll County.
In the past, local DJS offices possessed more autonomy to fashion policies and procedures that reflected the views held in local communities. Over the past several years DJS has taken a more centralized approach. By expanding juvenile probation and requiring DJS to notify the State’s Attorney’s Office under certain circumstances, it allows for increased “local” input on the outcomes of juvenile cases.
The juvenile justice law reform passed by the General Assembly is certainly not the end-all-and-be-all solution to the problems facing the juvenile justice system, but the legislation does create positive changes to the juvenile justice system.
We are still in the process of wrapping our heads around the changes resulting from the mandates and mischief perpetrated by the Democrats during the 2024 Legislative Session. Nonetheless, I would be remiss if I did not thank the members of the Carroll County delegation for their diligence and hard work during this session. Thank you for all you did in the uphill battle in Annapolis.
Allan Culver
Senior Assistant State’s Attorney in the Carroll County State’s Attorney’s Office
Democrats distort and twist the facts about immigration
This is in response to Tom Zirpoli’s recent column “America continues to be built by immigrants.” Zirpoli’s column references the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse where he praises Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg and President Joe Biden for their rapid response and vilifies former President Trump for criticizing illegal immigrants, which has nothing to do with the Key Bridge.
Zirpoli lectures us about immigrants who do difficult, dangerous and necessary jobs to keep our nation and economy going. He states almost 40% of the construction workforce in the Baltimore/DC area are immigrants and our economy is directly related to the significant influx of immigrants since 2022. It is expected to make the US gross domestic product (GDP) about $7 trillion over the next 10 years.
To disguise the Democrat’s agenda Zirpoli follows Rahm Emanual’s (former chief of staff to former President Barack Obama) advice of “You never want a serious crisis to go to waste.”
Zirpoli uses the Key Bridge disaster to justify and validate the Utopian Democrat ideology of global-citizenship, sanctuary cities and open borders, by homogenizing legal and illegal immigrants into the same demographic. And if you dare question or criticize illegals like Trump, you’re a racist Nazi against all immigrants.
Zirpoli, like all Democrats, can’t/won’t differentiate between legal and illegal immigrants. Democrats want open borders so they can control and influence the millions of illegal immigrants (future voters) flooding our country, but most people don’t. How to get around this conundrum?
Instead of telling the truth about immigration, they slant, distort and twist facts to fit their narrative. Notice Zirpoli conveniently forgets to say the influx of immigrants are illegal immigrants and according to the House Committee on Homeland Security actually cost the taxpayers $450 billion a year.
American citizens built the Interstate Highway System including construction of the Key Bridge, which was performed by Iron-Workers Local 16. So, what happened to 40% of the American construction workers in Baltimore/DC?
Mark Twain said citizenship is what makes a republic; monarchies can get along without it. Democrats have the elites (Big tech, Hollywood, media, sports, Wall Street, etc.), and the inner cities.
With most manufacturing jobs outsourced, now they want to replace the American citizen construction workers with immigrants. But the middle class stands in their way, because they might vote for Trump.
So open borders will dilute and destroy the middle class, weaken our national identity and neutralize the benefits of citizenship, including our political freedom.
Carl Burdette, Westminster
Reader says local column crossed an unacceptable line
Reading the latest article from opinion piece writer Tom Zirpoli has left me furious that this person has been allowed to publish such antisemitic drivel!
I and many others in Carroll County stand firmly with Israel and its right to defend the country and to rid the world of the terrorist group Hamas. As you can see from the comments on your Facebook page, many are outraged.
Let me be the first to demand this so-called journalist be fired immediately. He crossed a line today that is completely unacceptable. I am a lifelong reader (although no longer subscriber) of the Carroll County Times and a lifelong resident of Carroll County. Do better!
Connie Vavosa
Maryland abortion amendment should be voted down
We should ask ourselves this hypothetical question. If this were an election year 165 years ago, would we be “pro-choice” on the issue of slavery?
Certainly some of us would be adamant, anti-slavery abolitionists, and voice the immorality of slavery, particularly slavery based on race. Some of us might have some economic “skin in the game.”
We might be negatively affected if we became legally obliged to start treating emancipated slaves as human beings rather than barnyard beasts of burden. Some would be pro choice on the slavery issue … ”personally opposed” to owning slaves, but respective of the slave owners’ property rights.
Perhaps some of us would be libertarian on slavery. That is, opposed to government overreach against the slave owners right to own slaves .. “my plantation my choice” … ”it’s a personal choice between the slave owner and her … uh … slave trader.”
Ours is, arguably, the greatest nation in human history. Nevertheless, we have struggled with inclusion. You know … inclusion. It is the “I” in D. E. I. The victims of slavery were the slaves, nearly all of African descent. It was our great national sin.
The victims of abortion are the little ones who lose their lives in that violent procedure. They, like the slaves, are not included in their human family. Rather they are intentionally dismembered and the law of the land condones it. Abortion is now our great national sin.
This November, there will be a proposed amendment to the Maryland State Constitution on the ballot. It will, if voted in, make abortion a constitutional right. We don’t yet know what ballot question number it will be. We don’t yet know what flowery, euphemistic, deceitful language will be used to disguise it from what it is. But it will be there.
If we don’t have the courage to oppose it openly, perhaps we will muster the courage to vote against it with the privacy of our ballot. Or maybe we will only have enough conscience to not vote for our great national sin and leave that ballot question blank.
Michael Hurley, Eldersburg
