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UPPER MARLBORO, MD (January 5, 2023) – Today, during her investiture ceremony, Aisha Braveboy was sworn in as the Prince George’s County State’s Attorney.
Both community members and public officials were present to witness this exciting event and to hear State’s Attorney Braveboy’s address after she took the oath of office. She began her remarks by expressing her gratitude for being able to serve residents over the past four years.
“I stand before you today, honored for the privilege to serve the people of Prince George’s County again, humbled by the trust the community has placed in me, and ready to forge ahead with new energy and determination on the most challenging, most rewarding, and most important work I have ever done: Protecting the people of the county I love as the State’s Attorney for Prince George’s County,” Braveboy said during her address.
Some of Braveboy’s top priorities of her first term included strengthening the State’s Attorney’s Office by retaining, developing and recruiting top talent, while improving office systems and processes. “With the help of our executive team who worked tirelessly to help me move the needle, I am proud to say that we delivered on our commitment to raise salaries throughout the office. We made tough, smart choices that resulted in real-time increases in starting salaries for our Assistant State’s Attorneys from $57,000 to $80,000,” said State’s Attorney Braveboy.
Since the onset of the Braveboy Administration, advocating for stronger laws to hold people accountable became a major focus.
“Our greatest tool is the law, and where it falls short, or is too vague, or narrow, it strains our ability to hold people accountable. That’s why we took the lead in Annapolis on groundbreaking legislation, first – to write the bill that replaced the narrow and ineffective tool that was the Maryland Hate Crime Statute,” Braveboy said. “We also took the lead in urging the state legislature to demand that strangulation be made a first degree felony offense to protect victims and to achieve the justice they so deserve.”
Braveboy intends to continue working with the state legislature to make sure the justice system has the tools needed to pursue the path for justice and accountability.
Another priority for the Braveboy Administration included making Prince George’s County an international model for youth justice reform. Her work in this area included a much more active and involved diversion effort to turn young people away from criminal involvement.
“It began with my decision to reposition the Juvenile Unit as a dedicated team of experienced professionals more knowledgeable about the specific and unique aspects of the juvenile justice system,” said Braveboy. “I believed a more experienced team would imagine more visionary and creative ideas about juvenile diversion, intervention, and restoration. Our vision and their hard work have been borne out and through collaboration and strategic partnerships, we have seen outstanding results.”
Braveboy supports resources for the formerly incarcerated, restorative justice, and rehabilitation services for those serving time. She created a Conviction and Sentencing Integrity Unit, the first of its kind in the State, to review claims of actual innocence and unfair sentencing. Additionally, her administration has grown the Back on Track Program to increase participation and create second chance opportunities for those who are eligible. As well, she implemented the Emerging Adult Program that assists those serving time on a path to rehabilitation so that they can be productive when they return to the community.
“I believe that rehabilitation is absolutely part of the solution, and completely in line with our values. For my team and my office, this is what a balanced system of justice is comprised of – and we will continue to serve what we believe is an exemplary model.”
Braveboy’s accomplishments include strong community engagement and policies that have been at the forefront of criminal justice reform. She launched crime prevention campaigns including ‘Our Streets, Our Future’ and the Carjacking Taskforce. Other initiatives and policies include ‘Operation Protect the Vote for All,’ ‘Operation Safe Release,’ a Multicultural Commission, the first LGBTQ+ Task Force in the State’s Attorney’s Office and the ‘no cash bail’ policy.
During her second term, she plans to continue to build on the work she has done in the courthouse, the legislature and in the community. She officially began her first term on January 7, 2019, and was re-elected on November 8, 2022, in the general election.