Treat, don't jail in Baltimore: Group

An advocacy group says Baltimore needs to change its approach toward those accused of nonviolent crimes and emphasize treatment instead of jail.

The Washington-based Justice Policy Institute says in a report released Tuesday that Baltimore is the nation's most active jailer among major cities. With a jail population topping 4,000 in 2009, 0.6 percent of the city's residents were jailed.

In addition, the report says 90 percent of people jailed in Baltimore were awaiting trial rather than serving a sentence. The national average is 67 percent.

The report suggests reducing arrests for nonviolent offenses and releasing more people on their own recognizance.

Sheryl Goldstein, director of the mayor's office of criminal justice, says the city has already implemented many of the recommendations in the report.

-- The Daily Record of Baltimore