The Missing Link: Why Maryland's Juvenile Justice Reforms Need Family-Centered Support to Succeed

Six months after implementation, stakeholders across Maryland are evaluating whether HB 814's reforms are achieving their intended outcomes. The key question is: are we providing the comprehensive support systems they were designed to work alongside?

In November 2024, Maryland implemented comprehensive juvenile justice reforms through HB 814, designed to address the root causes of youth crime while strengthening court oversight and accountability. Now, just six months later, stakeholders across the justice system are evaluating whether these reforms are achieving their intended outcomes.

But here's what we need to understand: the reforms haven't failed—they've been implemented without the critical family-centered support services they were designed to work alongside. And importantly, the available data provides valuable context for these discussions.

Understanding the Current Context

Before we discuss the reforms, let's examine the data that informs these conversations. Recent analysis reveals important trends in youth crime in Maryland. In Baltimore—the state's largest city—youth arrests in 2024 averaged 65 per month, compared to 130+ youth arrested in a typical month in 2019.

Statewide, Maryland saw violent crime decrease by 16% between 2012 and 2022, compared to the national average decrease of 2%. Nationwide, youth under 18 accounted for 9.2% of total arrests in 2022, and victims identified youth under 18 as the perpetrators in 10.5% of non-fatal violent offenses.

The Council on Criminal Justice's September 2024 analysis found that nationally, crimes involving juvenile males were 21% lower in 2022 than in 2016, while violent crimes committed by Black youth decreased by about 20%. This data provides important context for policy discussions.

What HB 814 Recognizes About Family Systems

The legislation itself recognizes what those of us working with justice-involved families see every day. The fiscal note accompanying HB 814 explicitly states that "juvenile crime frequently stems from household and family dysfunction" and acknowledges that traditional approaches "place full responsibility on minors with limited agency."

The reforms require courts to include in treatment service plans "a statement of any condition that the child's parent, guardian, or legal custodian must change in order to alleviate any risks to the child." This isn't bureaucratic language—it's a direct acknowledgment that sustainable change requires addressing the family system, not just the youth.

The Reality on the Ground

At The Hive, we serve families where youth average nine Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs)—more than double the threshold indicating significant risk. According to CDC data, individuals with four or more ACEs face decreased life expectancy of up to 20 years and increased risk for serious health conditions.

These families face challenges that go far beyond what any court order can address:

• Parents struggling with their own trauma, substance abuse, and mental health needs

• Transportation barriers to mandated appointments

• Complex navigation of healthcare and social service systems

• Inconsistent supervision due to work schedules or housing instability

• Language barriers and distrust of institutions

Yet we're asking these families to comply with longer probation terms, attend more court hearings, and engage in treatment programs—all without providing the wraparound support that makes compliance possible.

The Funding Gap That's Undermining Reform

Earlier this year, we submitted a comprehensive proposal for our Phoenix League Diversion Program to the Administrative Office of the Courts. Our program was designed to do exactly what HB 814 calls for: strengthen parent-child relationships, provide family navigators to help with court compliance, and create accountability structures that address underlying family dysfunction.

The proposal was denied—not because of program quality or demonstrated need, but because we don't have a direct existing partnership with a court system.

This creates a significant gap: courts need family-centered programs to make their new mandates effective, but funding flows primarily to organizations that already have established court partnerships. Meanwhile, families continue to face compliance challenges, and stakeholders across the system share concerns about achieving sustainable outcomes.

What Real Reform Implementation Looks Like

The reforms expanded court jurisdiction, extended probation terms, and required more family participation in treatment planning. But without community-based support, these become additional burdens rather than opportunities for change.

Effective implementation requires:

Family Navigators who can attend court proceedings, help families understand requirements, and connect them to trauma-informed resources for mental health, substance use, housing, and employment needs.

Evidence-Based Parent Coaching using approaches like Parenting Inside Out and Guiding Good Choices that strengthen family relationships and develop protective factors against delinquency.

Positive Engagement Opportunities that allow families to practice accountability and build relationships in supportive environments rather than only crisis-driven court settings.

Cultural Competence and Accessibility including bilingual staff, flexible scheduling, transportation assistance, and recognition of the systemic barriers that minority families face in navigating the justice system.

The Timeline for Real Change

Six months is simply not enough time to evaluate the effectiveness of systemic juvenile justice reform, especially when the family-centered components haven't been fully resourced. The Council on Criminal Justice notes that meaningful change in complex family systems typically requires 12-24 months of consistent support, and that's with comprehensive implementation.

Research shows that successful juvenile justice reform requires both structural changes and community-based support systems working in coordination. When stakeholders express concerns about current outcomes, it often reflects the challenge of implementing complex reforms without all necessary components in place.

The families we serve don't need more court oversight—they need partners who can help them navigate the system successfully. When parents have the tools and support to engage meaningfully in their child's rehabilitation, we see real, sustainable change.

Moving Forward

Maryland's juvenile justice reforms are grounded in solid evidence and best practices. The legislation correctly identifies family systems as central to sustainable change and calls for comprehensive, family-centered solutions. However, without adequate funding for community-based programs that can deliver these solutions, we may not see the full potential of these thoughtful reforms.

Rather than questioning whether the reforms work, we should be asking: Are we providing courts and families with the comprehensive tools they need to make them work? This shared concern—expressed by prosecutors, defense attorneys, judges, and community organizations alike—points to an opportunity for collaborative solutions.

The answer, unfortunately, is not yet. But it's not too late to fix this gap.

Justice-involved families need and deserve comprehensive support that addresses the trauma and systemic barriers that contribute to youth crime. The reforms provide the framework. Now we need the political will and funding commitment to implement them fully.

Our young people and their families are counting on us to get this right.

--

The Hive continues to serve justice-impacted families across Maryland through evidence-based programming and advocacy.