Maryland’s Parole Supervision Fee: A Barrier to Reentry

Maryland’s practice of charging persons on parole $40 a month for their supervision does little to raise state revenue, while undercutting public safety by burdening parolees with debt that they cannot pay. In Maryland’s Parole Supervision Fee: A Barrier to Reentry, the Brennan Center for Justice finds that the vast majority of persons on parole are unemployed and unable to pay the fee. Under Maryland law, many should be exempt from the fee but the system for granting exemptions is largely broken.