Andre Davis said in 30 years as a judge "if he didn’t see it all, he saw most of it.” Through it all, he says he has maintained a focus on young people. And that is why he has accepted the job as chair of Maryland’s new Juvenile Justice Commission.

“I’ve been doing this my entire adult life,” said Davis. “Focused on children, trying to do the best that I could as just a person to contribute to broader efforts to try to make the world safer for everyone and to make the world safer and a better place for young people.”

In response to an outcry from police, prosecutors, and the public over an uptick in crimes like carjackings committed by juveniles, Maryland’s legislature has tightened up some laws and created the 26-member commission Davis will lead.

The Juvenile Justice Commission's goal is to study what in the juvenile justice system could be done better. In addition to reviewing and reporting on juvenile services and facilities, the commission is also charged with reviewing programs to divert children from the juvenile justice system. The commission will also review and report on a number of high-priority juvenile justice policies, including the treatment and programming of females in the juvenile justice system; the use of child-in-need-of-supervision petitions; the number of petitions authorized or denied by jurisdiction; and wait times for placement of children in facilities.

“It is a soup-to-nuts examination of just every aspect of the programmatic, theoretical operational aspects of our system and that’s what we’re gonna do,” said Davis. “We’re gonna leave no stone unturned in the search for good ideas for efficient and effective practices.”

During an interview conversation in the State House Thursday, Judge Davis said he has no idea what recommendations will be made to the legislature and governor each year as required by the new law, but he believes the outcome will be positive.

“I have eight grandchildren. I have children. I have family,” said Judge Davis, “We all want to be safe. We can do both. We can have a safe community and we can do right by the young people who as a result of failures, not their own failures by systems throughout their young lives find themselves affiliated with the justice system.”

The new commission will hold its first meeting on Nov. 6. Its first report is due October 1, 2025.