Julie Magers wants to improve Maryland prisons.

Magers founded Justice and Recovery Advocates, Inc., a support group for families of incarcerated people and former prisoners re-entering society. She also leads the Maryland Prisoners' Rights Coalition, which lobbies for improved conditions in local jails and state prisons.

Magers joined Frederick Uncut host Colin McGuire and News-Post reporter Cameron Dodd for this week's episode. They talked about Maryland's prison system, Magers' first career as a background investigator and the personal experiences that led to her advocacy work.

The Maryland Prisoners' Rights Coalition helped draft proposed legislation setting restrictions on the use of solitary confinement that Senator Susan Lee (D-Montgomery) and Delegate Jazz Lewis (D-Prince George's) are expected to sponsor. Among other things, the proposed bill would restrict the use of segregated housing on vulnerable inmates and set guidelines for alternatives to isolation.