Baltimore Cares More About The Political Benefits From The Census Count Of Its Criminals Than It Does The Damage They Have Done To Its Citizens

Maryland changes how prisoners are counted in census

There are certain tendencies which expose the true character of certain Black Progressive-Fundamentalist political operatives.  This is one of them.

They are more interested in obtaining political benefit from retaining the headcount from the criminals who's actions assaulted other citizens in their districts than they are in ensuring that these individuals not break the law in the first place. 

I get the sense that some of the people who support this legislation believe that these people who are caught up in the "prison industrial complex" did not violate the "community law" but instead violated some external law that was imposed upon the community.

The NAACP has no shame.  In the spirit of "a hit dog will holla" it is quite interesting that it shows its face when it comes to the retention of political power in Baltimore while being so obviously incompetent about addressing the gross violent crime problem inside of the city limits which limit the "advancement of colored people" because they are often injured or murdered by these inmates. 

I will not be surprised at all to see a drive for prisoner voting at some point soon in the future.  I will only be surprised of these left of center operatives work to reform the culture in these places so that behavior that produces prison sentences will be reduced.

The Article:

Maryland will become the first state in the country to redraw districts by counting prisoners in their home towns instead of their cells, a change that is expected to help Baltimore avoid losing political power.

Civil rights advocates praised the No Representation Without Population Act signed Tuesday by Gov. Martin O'Malley (D). The National Urban League and the ACLU are among groups that have called for an end to "prison-based gerrymandering," and similar changes have been considered by at least seven other states.

"The vast majority will be going back to where they came from, and what this will do is count them where they live," said Hilary O. Shelton, head of the Washington office of the NAACP.

But opponents, primarily lawmakers from rural areas with prison facilities, consider the change a power grab that could cost them federal funds down the road.

"They may be originally from Baltimore," said Del. Kevin Kelly (D-Allegany), whose district has one federal and two state penitentiaries that house 4,300 prisoners. "But they're spending the next five, 10 or 30 years here."

The law was enacted in preparation for the 2010 Census, now underway, and it underscores what is at stake. Statewide census numbers determine how many congressional seats a state has, but each state has some leeway in using the data to determine the boundaries of state and local political districts. Although the new law will be used in redrawing all those lines, congressional districts are so large that any impact should be minor.

Maryland's biggest beneficiary is Baltimore, where 68 percent of the state's 25,000 prisoners were living before they were convicted. The city has lost an estimated 12,000 residents since the 2000 Census.

Del. Christopher B. Shank (R-Washington) said Baltimore could lose political clout if prisoners weren't included.

"It's a blatant power grab from the metropolitan areas of the state, particularly Baltimore city, to capture more seats and more population," said Shank, whose district has three prisons with about 8,000 inmates and who opposed the law.

Another place that probably will see a significant change is Somerset County, on the Eastern Shore. Although 40 percent of the population is black, no African American has ever been elected to countywide office there. In the 1980s, in response to a Voting Rights Act lawsuit, the county drew a majority African American district. Then a prison was built, which increased the population so much that some African Americans had to be reapportioned into other districts.

"This will allow districts to reflect the true population that actually lives there," said Del. Joseline A. Peña-Melnyk (D-Prince George's), who sponsored the legislation, though her district includes about 4,500 prisoners in Jessup. "It will create equality and fairness."

The impetus for the law came in February, when the Census Bureau announced that in May 2011 -- just in time for reapportionment -- it would identify the populations of group quarters such as prisons. The bureau takes no position on how states should act, saying its role is just to provide the data.