Docket for Homeless Persons
If you are a homeless person in Baltimore City with an outstanding warrant or have been recently charged with a nonviolent misdemeanor, you may have the option to have your case heard in the Docket for Homeless Persons (DHP) in the Maryland District Court. The court works with a service provider to address underlying needs that led to the arrest. Cases are typically diverted for up to 90 days.
What cases are heard on the DHP?
- Public urination
- Panhandling
- Sleeping in a park
- Loitering
- Vagrancy
- Riding the bus or light rail without paying
- Eating/drinking/smoking on the bus or light rail
- Low-level drug offenses
To get on the docket, call at 410-364-4198. If you are eligible, a staff attorney will contact the Assistant State's Attorney to have your case screened for eligility or to have it scheduled. To view the DHP's five-year report, click here.
Veterans Treatment Docket
If you are a veteran in Baltimore City with an outstanding warrant for a traffic or misdemeanor violation, or have been recently charged with a misdemeanor, you may have the option to have your case heard on the Veterans Treatment Docket (VTD) in Maryland District Court. VTD is open to any person who served in the U.S. military, regardless of discharge status. To learn more about the docket, see the video below (created by U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center Baltimore).
To get on the docket, call Michael Stone at 410-685-6589, ext. 14. If you are eligible, she will contact the Assistant State's Attorney to have your case screened for eligility or to have it scheduled.