ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) — A crime-victim advocacy group is supporting a bill in the Maryland General Assembly aimed at making automated notifications to victims more accurate and timely.
Russell Butler of the Maryland Crime Victims’ Resource Center said Wednesday the bill reflects frustration with a system that does not meet voluntary standards developed by the U.S. Justice Department.
The bill would require the state to study the effectiveness of its system and consider adopting the Justice Department standards.
The bill follows an incident last year in which a Frederick man received an automated email saying his mother’s killer had been released, when in fact he had died in prison. The state prison agency says it has made changes to prevent a recurrence.
Maryland contracts with the Kentucky-based company Appriss to provide the service.
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