There are two bills in the 2026 Maryland legislature, HB 16 / SB 823 and HB 467 / SB 822, that aim to modernize Maryland’s parole system. These bills address serious structural issues in Maryland’s parole system and, if passed, will ensure that the system is transparent and equitable for everyone involved.
Campaign Zero has conducted a rigorous 50 state review of parole statutes, state code, and administrative regulations across a variety of policy areas. These bills are common-sense updates that will help bring Maryland up to date with parole practices across the country.
Campaign Zero supports HB 16 / SB 823 and HB 467 / SB 822.
Modernizing Parole
Campaign Zero has reviewed both HB 467 / SB 822 and HB 16 / SB 823, two bills designed to modernize the state's parole system and increase transparency and equity.
Parole FAQs
We’ve outlined the most common questions regarding Maryland’s parole system and HB 467 / SB 822 and HB 16 / SB 823’s proposals.
Parole Process Map
Maryland's parole process is unknown to many. We've mapped out the process according to state law and highlighted changes proposed by HB 467 / SB 822 and HB 16 / SB 823.
Bill Summaries
Campaign Zero's review of the two bills introduced, HB 467 / SB 822 and HB 16 / SB 823, outlining their key provisions and potential impacts.
Automatic Hearings Comparison
Maryland is an outlier nationally, requiring people to apply for their next parole hearing rather than automatically scheduling. We’ve reviewed the cadence of automatic hearings across the country and compared it to HB 467’s proposal.
Read MoreParole Hearing Schedule Visualization
HB 467 would establish a set schedule for parole hearings based on the person’s sentence length and incarcerating offense. We’ve created a visualization to map out what this new provision would look like, providing predictability to both the incarcerated person and the Parole Commission.
DownloadRecords Requests to Parole Commission
We've submitted records requests to both DPSCS and the Maryland Comptroller to better understand parole in the state. Information requested includes release rates, how often people are denied a hearing, and who the decision-makers are behind the scenes.
Responses are publicly available through MuckRock: