Judge Andre Davis will lead Maryland’s new Juvenile Justice Commission

by Junna Base November 5, 2024

WASHINGTON (7News) — Andre Davis said in 30 years as a judge, “If he hasn’t seen it all, he’s seen most of it.” He says he’s always focused on young people, which is why he took the job as chairman of Maryland’s new juvenile justice commission assumed.

“I’ve done this my whole adult life,” Davis said. “I focus on children and try to do my best to contribute as a human being to broader efforts to make the world safer for everyone and to make the world safer and a better place for young people.”

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Responding to outcry from police, prosecutors and the public over a rise in crimes such as carjackings by juveniles, Maryland’s legislature has tightened some laws and created the 26-member commission that Davis will lead.

The aim of the Juvenile Justice Commission is to examine what could be done better in the juvenile justice system. In addition to reviewing and reporting on juvenile services and facilities, the Commission is also charged with reviewing programs to keep children out of the juvenile justice system. The Commission will also review and report on a number of priority juvenile justice measures, including the treatment and programming of women in the juvenile justice system; the use of petitions to care for children in need; the number of petitions approved or rejected by the jurisdiction; and waiting times for children to be placed in institutions.

“It’s a detailed study of nearly every programmatic and theoretical operational aspect of our system, and that’s exactly what we’re going to do,” Davis said. “We will leave no stone unturned in finding good ideas for efficient and effective practices.”

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During an interview at the State House on Thursday, Judge Davis said he has no idea what recommendations will be made to the Legislature and governor each year as required by the new law, but he believes the outcome will be positive.

“I have eight grandchildren. I have children. I have family,” Judge Davis said, “We all want to be safe. We can do both. We can have a safe community and we can do the right thing for the young people who entered the justice system in their young lives because of wrongdoings, not because of their own failures by systems.”

The first meeting of the new commission will take place on November 6th. Your first report is due on October 1, 2025.

Members of the Commission on Juvenile Justice and New Best Practices include: