In 2022, 333 people were murdered in Baltimore, marking the eighth consecutive year of more than 300 homicides in the city. A 17-year-old girl was shot and killed a mere four hours into the new year, leaving little hope that 2023 will be any less deadly.
“Many of the hundreds of victims died because the killer never faced justice for their previous crimes,” said Sean Kennedy, visiting fellow at the Maryland Public Policy Institute. “The vast majority of Baltimore’s killers are convicted felons, carrying guns, robbing and assaulting residents well before they take a life. We could have cut this year’s grim toll in half if we simply got serious about violent and repeat offenders.”
A July 2022 report by Kennedy found that the vast majority of homicide defendants in recent years had serious criminal convictions prior to the alleged homicide. In fact, 79% of homicide defendants with previous records since 2015 faced jail terms that exceeded the date of the homicide incident for which they were charged. Meaning, their sentences were cut short, allowing them to be on the streets to commit a graver crime.
“My new year’s resolution for Baltimore is more policing and prosecution and less posturing,” said Kennedy. “Mayor Brandon Scott and Police Commissioner Harrison should work with the new State’s Attorney Ivan Bates to put away dangerous criminals for the full extent of their sentence. That would make 2023 a very happy, and safe new year.”
When Mayor Scott took office in 2020, he vowed to put “all hands-on deck” to address the city’s homicide crisis. He also promised to reduce homicides by 15%—vows he has not fulfilled.
“Since Mayor Scott has taken office, over 700 Baltimoreans have been murdered,” Kennedy continued. “None deserved to die, and if the mayor had kept his promise to lower the murder rate by 15% each of his two years 100 deaths would have been prevented. That’s a hundred families without a loved one at the Christmas dinner table.”
In the final two months of 2022, Baltimore City officials were preoccupied with undoing voters’ decision to impose term limits on the offices they currently hold and maximizing their ability to earn pension benefits. On the other hand, little, if anything, was done to address the city’s persistently high murder rate, revealing few hands to be on deck.
“This self-centered approach to governing is an insult to the families of the murdered victims, to children who feel unsafe walking to school, and to every citizen of Baltimore who dreams of living in a safe city,” Kennedy concluded. “Mayor Scott, the City Council, and the city’s law enforcement officials must put every bit of energy they have into solving this problem in 2023.
The Maryland Public Policy Institute is a nonpartisan public policy research and education organization that focuses on state policy issues. The Institute’s mission is to formulate and promote public policies at all levels of government based on principles of free enterprise, limited government, and civil society. Learn more at mdpolicy.org.
