The Abell Foundation has awarded the Baltimore State's Attorney's Office a grant worth nearly $128,000, which will be used to "double the capacity" of an anti-prostitution program, top prosecutor Gregg Bernstein announced Thursday.
One of his deputy state's attorney's, Elizabeth Embry, is the daughter of foundation President Robert Embry, who could not be reached for comment.
Roughly 1,200 prostitution arrests are logged in Baltimore each year, according to the State's Attorney's Office, which launched the "Specialized Prostitution Diversion" program in 2009 to help offenders break the recidivist cycle, by offering them drug, health and employment services. It has helped 278 people so far, Bernstein said in a statement, announcing plans to double the effort and "make a greater impact."