PARRIS N. GLENDENING, Governor

Ch. 495

CHAPTER 495
(House Bill 926)

AN ACT concerning

Prisoner Litigation Act

FOR the purpose of requiring a prisoner who files a civil action relating to the conditions
of confinement to pay the full amount all or a certain portion of the applicable filing
fee; establishing certain exceptions; prohibiting the initiation of certain events until
the filing fee is paid in full; requiring a prisoner who files a civil action to submit to
the Clerk certain information relating to the prisoner's account; requiring the Clerk
to issue to a prisoner a consent form containing certain information relating to the
prisoner's account; requiring the Clerk to forward a copy of the consent form to the
institution or agency that has custody of the prisoner; requiring the prisoner's
custodian, under certain conditions, to remit to the Clerk certain funds from the
prisoner's account; authorizing a custodian, under certain circumstances, to set
aside or freeze certain funds deposited into the prisoner's account; authorizing a
court, under certain circumstances, to dismiss a civil action filed under this Act;
prohibiting a prisoner from maintaining a civil action under certain circumstances;
requiring a prisoner who files a civil action to attach certain information to the
initial complaint; requiring allowing a court, prior to a certain event, to review a
prisoner's complaint to identify any cognizable claims; establishing the effect of a
dismissal of a prisoner's civil action; authorizing a court to take certain action if a
prisoner has filed a certain number of frivolous complaints; requiring a certain
finding to be reflected in the docket entries of a civil action filed under this Act;
providing for the disposition of compensatory and punitive damages awarded to a
prisoner in connection with a civil action filed under this Act; requiring a prisoner's
custodian to notify, in a certain manner, a victim of the prisoner and a recipient of
a child support obligation for which the prisoner is responsible of certain
information; authorizing a court to rescind any or all of a prisoner's diminution or
confinement credits under certain circumstnnces; establishing that punitive damages
awarded in n civil action filed under this Act may not exceed a certain amount;
establishing a transaction fee for payments forwarded to the Clerk from a prisoner's
account providing certain sanctions for filing a certain number of frivolous actions;
providing that a court is not required to hold a hearing under certain circumstances;
providing for the application of this Act: defining certain terms; and generally
relating to civil actions filed by prisoners.

BY adding to

Article - Courts and Judicial Proceedings

Section 5-501 through 5-511 5-506 5-507 to be under the new subtitle "Subtitle 5.
Prisoner Litigation Act"

Annotated Code of Maryland

(1995 Replacement Volume and 1996 Supplement)

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