Page Croyder spent nearly 21 years with the Baltimore State's Attorney's Office before retiring from that agency in January, 2008. She began her legal career as a paralegal and attorney for a legal aid program in rural Virginia, and then spent four years as a commissioned officer and law specialist for the U.S. Coast Guard in New York City. After moving to Baltimore and becoming a city prosecutor, she served as a trial attorney, Chief of the Charging Division, Chief of Personnel, and Deputy State's Attorney. She earned her B.A. from the University of Maryland and her law degree from The George Washington University. She also holds a master's degree in journalism from Columbia University, and is a retired commander in the Coast Guard Reserve. Page has lived in the Hampden neighborhood of Baltimore for the past 31 years.
I began blogging in 2008 to bring an insider's perspective to Baltimore's criminal justice system, to illuminate for lay people some of the reasons why "the system" so often fails to function effectively.
After three years of regular posts, I stepped back and wrote on a less frequent basis, as other interests laid claim to my time. And in 2014 I ended this blog for all practical purposes. Then Freddie Gray died and Baltimore exploded, bringing me back for a time. After a four year hiatus I am back with the results of a study I am conducting on felony cases and how they are handled in Baltimore.
My motivation continues to consist of one reason only: to serve the public by providing information and a point of view that is unencumbered by political or personal considerations.
In my career I have come full circle. My first job out of law school was to work with the poor in a legal aid program. After retiring as a prosecutor, I worked four years as a case manager in a shelter for homeless women and children, and now manage an apartment building for low-income senior citizens. I have loved these jobs.
And to the extent I could, I tried to share the knowledge I gained from my many years in criminal justice. I have written not for the insiders but for ordinary citizens. I hope they found this blog helpful.