FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE PRESS ADVISORY
December 11, 2003
Contact: Laura Jones, 202-363-7847, x308
Zoe Mitchell, 202-253-2990

New Poll: Maryland Voters Say Too Many Locked Up; Favor Shorter Sentences and Drug Treatment for Non-Violent Crimes

Coalition Launches New Campaign to Support
Treatment, Not Incarceration in Maryland; Abolish Mandatory Minimums

What: Press conference highlighting the results
of a new poll showing that the
overwhelming majority of Maryland voters
support treatment, not incarceration, for
drug offenders. Among other findings to be
released: prisons are the first choice for
state budget cuts; most think state not
providing enough drug treatment; and most
believe that prisons make people worse,
not better. A coalition launches a new
campaign to promote treatment instead of
incarceration, and to reduce the number of
people behind bars in Maryland. Full
results of the poll will be released at
the conference.

Who: Campaign for Treatment Not Incarceration
Speakers Include:
*Tara Andrews, Maryland Justice Coalition
Director
*Israel Cason, I Can’t, We Can Executive
Director
*Duchy Trachtenberg, Maryland Chapter of
NOW President
*James R. Lanier, PhD, National Urban
League Senior Scholar

When: Tuesday, December 16th, 10:00 AM

Where: I Can’t, We Can, 4446 Park Heights,
Baltimore, MD


The Campaign for Treatment Not Incarceration is a coalition dedicated to making Maryland a safer and more just state by reducing its reliance on incarceration and expanding effective treatment programs. Potomac Incorporated is an opinion research and public affairs firm based in Bethesda, Maryland. They have been polling voters in the mid-Atlantic region since 1982 for clients including The (Baltimore) Sun, WTOP Radio, and ABC-7 TV, as well as numerous private organizations.
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