SB 632 Maryland Senate · 2025 Regular Session

Correctional Services - Comprehensive Rehabilitative Prerelease Services - Female Incarcerated Individuals (The Monica Cooper Prerelease Act)

SB 632 (The Monica Cooper Prerelease Act) requires Maryland to establish a dedicated facility for female incarcerated individuals eligible for prerelease, located in Baltimore City on at least 3 acres to serve the zip codes with the highest release rates. The bill mandates the Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services to provide comprehensive support services - including education, vocational training, family reunification programs, trauma-informed healthcare, housing assistance, and job placement - tailored to women’s needs. It sets deadlines for facility planning (by December 2025), construction (by July 2026), and operation (by 2027), with reporting requirements to the Governor and legislature. The law directly affects female inmates in prerelease status and aims to improve reentry outcomes through structured, gender-responsive programming.

Sub-Topics: Probation & Parole

Bill status passed 3 of 5 stages cleared

Introduction

Jan 2025

Committee Review

Apr 2025

Senate Passage

Mar 2025

House of Delegates Passage

Governor

Introduced Jan 29, 2025 Last action Apr 7, 2025

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What changed between versions

First - Correctional Services - Comprehensive Rehabilitative Prerelease Services - Female Incarcerated Individuals (The Monica Cooper Prerelease Act) → Third - Correctional Services - Comprehensive Rehabilitative Prerelease Services - Female Incarcerated Individuals (The Monica Cooper Prerelease Act) · 5 edits

MODERATE

This bill was amended to add a new section requiring the Department of General Services to oversee procurement for a new prerelease facility for female incarcerated individuals, update capacity requirements to 1.25 times the eligible population, and establish specific facility design standards including accessibility features and specialized spaces. The timeline for facility operation was extended to June 1, 2027, and the Department of General Services was added to the list of agencies responsible for implementation.

Scope change

The bill's scope was expanded to include the Department of General Services in the procurement and construction process for the prerelease facility, and the facility capacity requirement was increased from a fixed number based on 2023 data to 1.25 times that number.

REQUIREMENT

Added a new section 3-301.1 requiring the Department of General Services to review proposals, issue requests for proposals if needed, and award contracts for the prerelease facility construction by specified deadlines.

Changed the facility capacity requirement from accommodating the largest number of eligible women in 2023 to accommodating 1.25 times that number.

Added detailed facility design requirements including double and single occupancy housing units, handicapped accessible rooms, bathrooms maximizing privacy, administrative offices, meeting and visiting spaces, a classroom, career center, nonemergency medical suite, recreational facilities, and access to public transportation.

TIMELINE

Extended the deadline for beginning operations and providing services in the facility from June 1, 2023, to June 1, 2027.

ENFORCEMENT

Added requirement for the Department of General Services to review and evaluate proposals for compliance with facility requirements by June 1, 2025, and issue requests for proposals by August 1, 2025 if no current proposal meets requirements.

Floor votes · Senate Mar 12, 2025

How they voted

33–13

Passed

Total votes 46

Mar 12, 2025

D Democratic33

32 Yea 1 Nay

96% Yea

R Republican13

1 Yea 12 Nay

92% Nay

Vote distribution

All Yea All Nay Mixed No data

Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions

Key actions

Committee

Apr 7, 2025

Committee

Rereferred to Judiciary

lower

Apr 1, 2025

Committee

Referred Rules and Executive Nominations

lower

Mar 31, 2025

Upper · Passed

Third Reading Passed

upper

Mar 28, 2025

Upper · Passed

Favorable with Amendments {

upper

Mar 28, 2025

Upper · Passed

Favorable with Amendments Report by Judicial Proceedings

upper

Mar 12, 2025

Senate · Passed

Senate Vote: pass (33-13)

senate

Jan 29, 2025

Committee

First Reading Judicial Proceedings and Budget and Taxation

upper

1 primary · 0 co-sponsors