Maryland has one of the fastest-dropping recidivism rates in the country, and women leaders deserve much of the credit. From courtrooms to the State House and community centers, female attorneys, judges, lawmakers, and nonprofit directors are reshaping how the state handles theft cases and what happens after a conviction.
Across Maryland, many advocacy groups led by women provide essential help with theft charges Maryland, emphasizing treatment, record clearing, and real pathways back to work.
Women Who Defend and Decide Cases
Laura L. Martin, managing partner at FrizWoods in Prince George’s and Montgomery Counties, has built one of the state’s most active criminal defense practices. Her firm handles hundreds of theft cases each year, from misdemeanor shoplifting to felony theft schemes, and consistently secures Probation Before Judgment and diversion programs that keep convictions off clients’ records. ( FrizWoods LLC – Attorney Profiles & Case Results, Frizwoods )
On the federal bench, U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis brings decades of public defender experience to every sentencing decision. Confirmed in 2016 after years representing low-income clients in Maryland, Judge Xinis frequently speaks about restorative justice and alternatives to incarceration for non-violent offenders. ( Federal Judicial Center – Biography of Judge Paula Xinis, FJC )
Lawmakers Rewriting the Rules
Delegate Vanessa Atterbeary, chair of the House Ways and Means Committee, wrote and passed Maryland’s Clean Slate Act in 2024. The law automatically seals certain misdemeanor records, including many theft convictions, after three crime-free years, giving thousands of Marylanders a fresh start in housing and employment. (Maryland General Assembly – HB 198 / Clean Slate Act of 2024, sponsored by Del. Vanessa Atterbeary, MGAleg Maryland )
State Senator Jill P. Carter has spent twenty years fighting mass incarceration. In the 2025 session she sponsored successful legislation that expanded pre-trial diversion and mental health courts, keeping first-time, non-violent theft offenders out of jail and in treatment instead. ( Maryland Matters – “Sen. Jill Carter on decarceration and diversion expansion,” Dec 2024, Maryland Matters )
Nonprofit Leaders Building Second Chances
Three women running major reentry organizations are proving that stable jobs and housing cut repeat offenses in half:
- Caryn York, CEO of the Job Opportunities Task Force (JOTF), trains justice-involved Marylanders for construction, health-care, and IT careers while convincing employers to adopt fair-chance hiring policies.
- Keisha Hines, Executive Director of the Maryland Reentry Resource Center, oversees statewide programs that connect returning citizens with housing, ID restoration, and free legal clinics that expunge old theft charges.
- Tamara Wilson, Executive Director of Out4Justice Maryland (formerly Out for Justice), leads peer-led advocacy and expungement workshops across Baltimore and Prince George’s County.
sources:
Aspen Institute – Caryn York profile, Aspen Institute
Maryland Reentry Resource Center – Meet the Director, MDRRC
Out4Justice Maryland – Staff & Mission, Out4Justice MD
Real Results on the Ground
Maryland’s three-year recidivism rate fell to 33.4% in 2024, down from over 40% a decade ago. Women-led initiatives deserve much of the credit. Clean Slate sealing, expanded diversion, and aggressive reentry support mean a shoplifting or theft conviction no longer becomes a life sentence of unemployment and instability.
Employers who partner with JOTF report retention rates above 85% for workers with records. Housing providers working with the Reentry Resource Center place clients in stable homes within weeks instead of months. These are not just feel-good stories; they are measurable public-safety and economic wins.
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The Work Continues
These leaders are already planning the next wave of reforms: wider use of citations instead of arrests for minor theft, statewide ban-the-box for private employers, and dedicated funding for women leaving incarceration. Every step proves the same truth: when women lead with both toughness and compassion, Maryland communities become safer and fairer.
For anyone currently facing theft charges, real help with theft charges Maryland is available because of the women who refused to accept an unfair status quo.