As an organization representing many residents of Sandtown-Winchester, a community that, along with Greater Rosemont, Harlem Park and Southwest Baltimore, is home to 40,000 residents and covers less than two miles of land, Out for Justice is deeply concerned. These areas have been subject to systemic disinvestment for decades, leading to a cycle of poverty, unemployment and high incarceration rates. At the same time, Maryland is considering investing $1 billion in a new “hybrid” jail complex in Baltimore. This decision, if made, would be a grave mistake, failing to address the root causes of crime and criminal legal system involvement. It is urgent that we redirect these funds toward the communities that have been historically underfunded, providing resources and opportunities to break the cycle of incarceration.

In 2015, the Justice Policy Institute released a report showing that Maryland spends more money incarcerating people from communities like Sandtown-Winchester than anywhere else in the state. This is hardly surprising when you look at the conditions in these neighborhoods. In Sandtown-Winchester alone, the unemployment rate is a staggering 8.3%, labor force participation is only 57.8%, and a third of properties are vacant or abandoned. The median household income is just $26,090, while 25% of residents lack a high school diploma, and 59.4% of the area is a food desert. Life expectancy here is only 69.2 years. Compare this with Roland Park, a wealthy, white neighborhood where the state spends the least on incarceration. It has an unemployment rate of just 1.4%, a median household income of $125,869 and a life expectancy of 83.6 years. Only 1.2% of its residents lack a GED, and almost no properties are vacant or abandoned.

These outcomes are not accidents — they result directly from deliberate policy decisions. While neighborhoods like the Inner Harbor and Federal Hill have experienced sustained investment, areas like Washington Village/Pigtown, just a stone’s throw away, have been left behind. This pattern is evident across the city: Between 2004 and 2016, white neighborhoods in Baltimore received more than three times the investment of majority-Black neighborhoods. These statistics tell a story: Where there is investment in people and resources, crime and incarceration are less prevalent.

On the other hand, when communities are systematically denied resources, the outcomes are predictable: higher crime rates, lower life expectancy and greater justice system involvement. Research has shown that neighborhoods with significant unmet social needs experience worse physical and mental health outcomes, exacerbating the very issues that lead to higher incarceration rates. Building a new jail, however, will do nothing to address these root causes; it will merely perpetuate the cycle of incarceration.

While Maryland officials argue that a new jail will provide comprehensive mental health and substance use treatment services, similar efforts in other jurisdictions have shown that institutional settings are ill-equipped to offer the continuous care needed for long-term recovery. In contrast, cities like Richmond, California, have shown us that change is possible. By investing in comprehensive job training programs and community-based mental health services, they have significantly reduced violence and incarceration rates. Richmond’s Office of Neighborhood Safety, which offers outreach, mentoring, and support services, led to a dramatic decrease in gun violence. Similar investments in Baltimore could bring about equally transformative results, offering hope for a safer, more equitable future.

If the state is serious about improving public safety, it must invest in people and communities, not prisons. Imagine what $1 billion could do for neighborhoods like Sandtown-Winchester: new schools, job training programs, affordable housing, mental health services and fresh food markets. A fraction of the $1 billion earmarked for the project could instead fund a citywide network of mental health centers. More could go toward job training programs in the neighborhoods hardest hit by unemployment and incarceration. These investments would address the root causes of crime and reduce the need for future incarceration, offering a long-term solution rather than a temporary fix.

Baltimore stands as a testament to the power of investment in public safety. When communities are given the resources to thrive, crime rates fall, and public safety improves. If the state continues to neglect neighborhoods like Sandtown-Winchester, the disparities will only deepen, leading to even more incarceration, violence and poverty. Baltimore cannot afford to wait for incremental change; this billion-dollar decision is a pivotal moment that will either perpetuate decades of inequality or chart a new course toward justice and equity.

Trina Selden is founder and executive director of Baltimore-based criminal justice reform nonprofit Out for Justice (getinfo@out4justice.org).