[{"_1":2,"_88":-5,"_89":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6343482,"mediaKeyId","2252242-9aa27fd7a8367b5d8196dda5a27c2b64","parentId",2252242,"title","Advocates and parents urge courts to factor developmental disability diagnoses in criminal proceedings","audioSeconds",768,"startMs",2716000,"endMs",3484000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2252242-9aa27fd7a8367b5d8196dda5a27c2b64&start=2716&end=3484","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2252242-9aa27fd7a8367b5d8196dda5a27c2b64/thumbnail_2716000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6343482/Maryland/Advocates-and-parents-urge-courts-to-factor-developmental-disability-diagnoses-in-criminal-proceedings","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6343482-ed3401a1aaa2e05ef4c7998724a7c84b/orig.mp4?Expires=1771167083&Signature=VFV9xBhQ6nbf~~ddunbhnvUM44SDqG74ZfByD355QM86KdDVoE8P-k1kq195gvGFo81QsykYOPVU1zCAUvCPUiaBUr5pkndZRAcgIQtfGu0~gNLNP2UBnlBnllbPcae0vEp6CjjQCETclYOVe8DMDRixoG2V2XsaWLxbIh0Uq2BNLHf7JEZqWMwV6xzKX5y4cL9g2--p7HraovOA6OPj1BABH~bHp9veiVcI6JlOhmnUevsP2CxPN4zrU-4gLuZgSYhBG56zKPgbLbQsczXwzlMpPhQ7JXdeQQwNWpmk-3nAdJEoyLEtDepHfCZLiPHXJFgnfQATdv3DBVW1zimvfw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","MGA - JPR","date","2025-02-07T00:00:00Z","article","Senator Shanika Henson presented Senate Bill 507 on Feb. 7 as a measure to require courts, district commissioners and judges to consider a defendant’s developmental or intellectual disability — including autism spectrum diagnoses — at multiple points in the criminal process. Henson said the bill would add statutory clarity so that diagnosis-related evidence would be consistently considered during pretrial release decisions, competency evaluations and at trial where relevant.

Witnesses and advocates framed the bill as addressing inconsistent courtroom outcomes for people with intellectual or developmental disabilities (IDD). Melissa Rosenberg, executive director of the Autism Society of Maryland, said the law would “permit the introduction of evidence of autism or an IDD diagnosis in criminal proceedings, ensuring these conditions are considered when making pretrial release decisions” and cited overrepresentation of autistic people in criminal-justice settings.

Parents and family members also testified; Melissa Scales Hamilton described her son’s experience in jail and said the facility did not accommodate autism-related sensory and safety needs. A public defender in the hearing described how recorded jail phone calls can be manipulated by other inmates and later used against people with IDD at trial.

Committee members asked practical and evidentiary questions. Senator Sundar asked whether the evidence was already admissible under existing rules; Henson and witnesses said the bill is intended to “open the door” and create consistency because judicial discretion produced uneven results. Practical questions focused on whether the statute would require judges to admit evidence (witnesses said the bill affirms admissibility but does not strip judges of evidence-rule discretion), and whether judges would be required to accord particular weight to that testimony.

The measure drew support from disability and legal-advocacy groups and from family members who said statutory guidance would reduce harmful, unintended outcomes for people whose behavior is driven by developmental differences rather than criminal intent. No final vote was recorded during the hearing.

Why it matters: The bill seeks to make the treatment of defendants with IDD more consistent across Maryland courts by identifying diagnosis and specialized testimony as relevant for pretrial decisions, competency questions and evidentiary considerations. The debate turned on whether explicit statutory language is necessary or whether judicial rules and case law already provide the flexibility to consider disability evidence.

Sources: Testimony at Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee hearing, Feb. 7, 2025.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","JPR Committee Session, 2/7/2025 #1","oneSentenceSummary","Senate Bill 507 would explicitly permit evidence of autism or intellectual/developmental disabilities when judges make pretrial release, competency or other determinations. Advocates said it would reduce unfair outcomes; some committee members pressed whether existing rules already allow such evidence.","taxTitle","Judicial Proceedings Committee, SENATE, SENATE, Committees, Legislative, Maryland","taxId",15095,"location","Maryland","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6343487,"Senate panel hears clash over bill to bar firearm possession for assisted outpatient treatment respondents",814,886000,1700000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2252242-9aa27fd7a8367b5d8196dda5a27c2b64&start=886&end=1700","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2252242-9aa27fd7a8367b5d8196dda5a27c2b64/thumbnail_886000.jpg","/articles/6343487/Maryland/Senate-panel-hears-clash-over-bill-to-bar-firearm-possession-for-assisted-outpatient-treatment-respondents","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6343487-4e081d854f756692b9279b9fd6dc8553/orig.mp4?Expires=1771167083&Signature=V0ac-OkP2pE8bbs62JfGj3GHwuQ05eyZ1ZnTY0VyHU4uZBAU7Quu~JP0Jsr53u0EKMS0gA1TkP8y8rUKdZnsfF1~o9vXs9h16UJetOYLuvCio2asN0~pRYFZCAQ4WV~90aUtBBKtfAscQKm-eth7xyru1qexinRSjHFuvbuArtN2s6dC6AhvpEr9MQloww6H3h2JZnZXxKsA0CNr1AzG-dw3ysbZ5onNk2g8D0~HDMXhNu6qNsTP0xIDBSvTBJ1HuJajeKZqZA3tEC1z72AB6ZV3nWZV33V0bPCMrjkMg2b0wEeL0ZIxvnZlVQUPPWQnpgQvjJKUPLHbtko0NFygIw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Senator Shanika Henson, sponsor of Senate Bill 509, told the Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee on Feb. 7 the bill would close “a loophole” in Maryland’s assisted outpatient treatment (AOT) law by prohibiting people under court-ordered AOT from possessing firearms while they are subject to the program. “It is a critical part of the treatment…for suicide prevention,” Henson said, urging a favorable report.

The bill prompted extended questions from committee members about how it would overlap with Maryland’s extreme risk protective order (ERPO) law and how enforcement would work. Henson said the prohibition would be enforced in a manner analogous to ERPOs: the court would issue the order and, if necessary, a sheriff could enforce firearms turnover. She described AOT respondents as a “very narrow classification” — people with serious and persistent mental illness under a court-ordered, structured outpatient plan — and framed the bill primarily as a suicide-prevention measure.

Opponents at the hearing said the bill could have unintended collateral consequences. Crystal Williams of the Office of the Public Defender and Courtney Bergen of Disability Rights Maryland said AOT does not require a finding of dangerousness and that placing all AOT respondents into a firearms-disqualification category may subject people to severe collateral harms. Bergen, who said she has lived experience with the background-check system, described personal consequences after being entered into the federal NICS/NCIC database and said the listing had complicated employment and licensing. “When we pass these laws that have very broad implications without a requirement of a dangerousness finding…, the consequences are huge,” Bergen said.

Members pressed sponsors on scope and evidence. Senator Fulton and others asked whether research supports a categorical prohibition; Henson repeatedly pointed to suicide-prevention data and to testimony from public-health researchers (she referenced analysis by Johns Hopkins in the hearing). Committee members also raised concerns about compliance with federal rules limiting NICS reporting to certain involuntary civil commitments; witnesses noted disability-rights groups’ letters arguing that using NICS for AOT respondents could contravene federal limits and produce discrimination or other harms.

No final action was recorded on SB 509 during the hearing. Committee discussion focused on whether the proposal could be tailored to protect people at genuine risk of harming themselves while avoiding unnecessary entries into background-check systems that produce collateral disadvantages for people with disabilities.

Why it matters: The hearing highlighted a policy tension seen in several states — balancing measures that reduce firearm access among people deemed at elevated suicide risk against procedural protections and federal limits on background-check reporting. SB 509 would directly affect a subset of Marylanders subject to court-ordered AOT and could change interactions among behavioral-health courts, law enforcement, and federal background-check databases.

Sources: Testimony and exchanges at the Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee hearing on Feb. 7, 2025; written letters and references cited at the hearing.","Supporters told the Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee the measure would help prevent suicides and protect public safety; opponents including Disability Rights Maryland and the Office of the Public Defender warned it would sweep too broadly, risk collateral harms through NICS reporting and could deter people from seeking treatment.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Advocates and parents urge courts to factor developmental disability diagnoses in criminal proceedings

Senate panel hears clash over bill to bar firearm possession for assisted outpatient treatment respondents