Bill
SB 735
Tightens violent-crime rules by banning murder diminution credits and capping other violence credits at 10%, prolonging confinement for offenders.
Status / Timeline
- Title: Real Time for Violent Crime Act (Geri’s Law)
- Jurisdiction: Maryland (bill text and fiscal note prepared for Maryland General Assembly)
- Committee: Judicial Proceedings
- Hearing (as provided): March 4, 2025, 1:00 p.m.
- Introduced: early 2025 (bill text cites formal introduction in January 2025 in the Senate)
- Applies: prospectively only (provisions apply to sentences and cases after the bill’s effective date)
Purpose and intent
- The bill aims to tighten rules on diminution (good‑time/earned‑credit) reductions of confinement for people convicted of serious violent crimes, and to restrict pretrial release for defendants charged with crimes of violence who pose heightened recidivism or flight risks. Its stated goal is to increase public safety by ensuring longer confinement for violent offenders and limiting pretrial release for higher‑risk defendants.
Key provisions
1. Diminution credits — murder
- Prohibits any earning of diminution credits that would reduce the term of confinement for an incarcerated individual serving a sentence for first‑ or second‑degree murder (i.e., no earned‑time reductions for those murder convictions).
Diminution credits — crimes of violence cap
Pretrial release restrictions
Legal changes / code sections affected
- The bill repeals and reenacts or amends provisions in Maryland’s Correctional Services Article (e.g., §§ 3‑702, 3‑707, 3‑708, 11‑502) and Criminal Procedure (e.g., § 5‑202) to implement the changes above.
Who is affected
- Directly affected: incarcerated persons serving sentences for first‑ or second‑degree murder and those serving sentences for crimes classified as “crimes of violence”; defendants charged with crimes of violence at pretrial stages.
- Indirectly affected: Maryland Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services (DOC), courts (judicial officers, commissioners), and the state budget (longer average incarcerations).
Fiscal and operational impact
- Fiscal note indicates no material near‑term fiscal effect but projects increasing general‑fund incarceration costs over time as people serve longer terms. Representative cost figures cited:
- Average total cost per incarcerated individual: ~$5,339 per month (includes overhead).
- Average new‑inmate housing cost (excl. overhead): ~$1,268/month; variable costs ~$312/month.
- Scale context from DOC (FY2024 / Jan 2025 data):
- ~236 individuals sentenced for first‑ or second‑degree murder in FY2024.
- ~9,801 incarcerated individuals had one or more offenses qualifying as a crime of violence (~61% of DOC population).
- Local (county/jail) finances are not expected to be materially affected because violent felony sentences are typically served in state facilities.
Other notes
- The bill’s fiscal note and drafting materials emphasize the changes are prospective only and include clarifying amendments to existing diminution‑credit calculation rules (monthly deduction rates and aggregate caps).
- The bill was considered in Judicial Proceedings and includes multiple sponsors in the Senate; final enactment (if passed) would require statutory conformity in the referenced sections.
Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.
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