DJS details PEACE Team spending, but questions remain

BALTIMORE (WBFF) — Maryland’s Department of Juvenile Services says 25 young people are receiving services through a Baltimore nonprofit that was awarded a contract worth up to $4.6 million over three years.

The agency said it has paid PEACE roughly $103,300 so far after the Board of Public Works approved the multi-year, multi-million dollar contract in April.

The details come after FOX45 News started asking questions about PEACE, the leadership, staffing and oversight of the taxpayer-funded contract.

The BPW approved the contract that requires PEACE to provide community-based credible messenger mentoring, support, and life-enrichment services to DJS young people in Baltimore City, Baltimore, Anne Arundel, and Prince George’s Counties.

PEACE is led by Eric Brown, who pleaded guilty in 2011 to federal charges tied to the Black Guerilla Family, or BGF, gang. Federal prosecutors said Brown was a BGF leader who enforced discipline and directed and participated in drug trafficking activity.

Brown was sentenced to 12 years in prison, and in July 2019, he was released. The next month, Brown filed paperwork with the state creating PEACE.

A 2024 tax filing listed Brown as the organization’s only officer, director or trustee. The filing also showed Brown’s annual salary at $215,000.

The tax filing included some work the organization had been engaged in, noting 11 employees were working in Baltimore City Public Schools, though the filing did not identify those employees.

In response to questions from FOX45 News, DJS said its partners go through a process that includes rate setting through Maryland’s Interagency Rate Committee, responding to publicly issued Expression of Interest, and approval by the Board of Public Works.

Credible messenger programs rely on people with lived experience in their communities and the justice system, according to DJS, that help build relationships with the juvenile participants. PEACE employees are also contracted to provide mentoring, guidance, behavioral and mental health services, a DJS spokesperson said.

When it comes to keeping track of the performance metrics, DJS said the agency conducts ongoing oversight of service delivery, youth engagement, and program performance. PEACE’s results will be measured through reductions in re-arrests and gun violence victimization as well as program and educational enrollment, the DJS spokesperson said.

However, DJS did not specifically detail PEACE’s prior experience providing the contracted services before the contract was awarded. The agency also did not provide details about the employees contracted to perform such responsibilities.

David Williams, president of the Taxpayers Protection Alliance, said the state should ensure clearer records of results before committing millions of dollars.

“This nonprofit has no track record, and that’s where DJS has to be more selective about who they give taxpayer money to,” Williams said.

When it comes to keeping track of the performance metrics, DJS said the agency conducts ongoing oversight of service delivery, youth engagement, and program performance. PEACE’s results will be measured through reductions in re-arrests and gun violence victimization as well as program and educational enrollment, the DJS spokesperson said.

“If they were trying to achieve a certain goal, they need to find partners that can achieve those goals,” Williams said.

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