Baltimore will no longer prosecute a majority of non-violent crimes and drop all pending criminal charges against anyone who stands accused of such crimes, Your Content has learned. The stunning revelation comes just one day after Philadelphia Police said crimes such as burglary and auto theft will not result in an immediate arrest.
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 said she is taking the action in an effort to reduce the threat of a coronavirus outbreak behind bars.
“An outbreak in prison or jails could potentially be catastrophic,” she wrote them. “Now is not the time for a piecemeal approach where we go into court and argue one one by one for the release of at-risk individuals.”
This marks the second major U.S. city to waive laws and adapt a coronavirus crime code that doesn’t land select wrongdoers behind bars.
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