From the Post: Recidivist Offender Strikes Within Minutes of Release

There is recidivist crime in Maryland, and then there is this: today the Washington Post reports on a Prince George's County teenager charged with assault and then released, only to allegedly carjack someone outside the county jail just minutes later.

On Dec. 14, … Temple Hills resident [Sean L. Hawkins Jr.] was charged with assault. Hawkins was taken to the jail in Upper Marlboro, where he appeared before a court commissioner and was released on personal recognizance.

Hawkins then walked out of the jail and, according to police, carjacked a Toyota 4Runner in the parking lot. Arrested in Suitland a short time later, Hawkins told police that he carjacked the vehicle "because he needed a ride home from jail," according to charging documents.

He has been ordered held without bond in the carjacking. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for Jan. 12.

"Never in the history of the Department of Corrections have we had anything of this nature occur," said Vicki D. Duncan, a department spokeswoman.

Even in a state whose reputation for "revolving door justice" has been resurfacing in the local media recently, one could argue that the Hawkins case is a bit exceptional. But in the lead of this story, the Post touched on the issue of recidivist crime in Maryland without following it up in the same piece, instead focusing on Hawkins.

Hundreds of the inmates in the Prince George's County jail are repeat offenders, recidivists who have done time and been released only to find themselves back in trouble with the law years, months, weeks or even days later.

This observation by the reporter begs a slew of questions. Hundreds of inmates? Back in trouble with the law years, months, weeks, or even days later? How many of them were originally incarcerated for violent offenses? What did they do after being released? And more to the point, how many of these offenders were released from prison with the help of sentence reconsiderations or diminution credits?

These are things we need to find out if we are to help revamp the criminal justice system in Maryland.

This is an observation that is just begging for followup research.