[Baltimore Sun] Ivan Bates: Cherry-picked data doesn’t tell whole story on juvenile crime | GUEST COMMENTARY
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Recently, the Sentencing Project, a nonprofit that advocates for reduced imprisonment and criminalization of youth and adults, issued a report that suggested that youth offenses are declining based on data showing that arrests in Baltimore City of juveniles have been on the decline since 2022.
In an attempt to discredit the concerns I have expressed about youth offenders in our city, the report identifies me directly:
“Soon after the [Baltimore Police Department’s] July 2024 report was issued, Baltimore City State’s Attorney Ivan Bates asserted, ‘I see the juvenile crime numbers. Juvenile crime is out of control.’ This is not an accurate reflection of the data we have available to us. Because of the BPD’s reports, we know that the assertion of a youth crime wave from the city’s elected prosecutor is not backed by evidence.”
Typically, I would not respond to a nonprofit’s report, understanding that the mission of a nonprofit does not need to align with the wants and needs of the community because they are not elected to serve the public. In this case, the Sentencing Project felt the need to attempt to refute my assertion about the state of juvenile crime in our city, which I have made based on first-hand experience as the city’s top prosecutor managing a juvenile division that works directly with parents, victims and the bureaucracy of the Department of Juvenile Services (DJS).
The report by the Sentencing Project does not accurately represent my office’s data or the experiences of Baltimore City’s residents. It also completely disregards the lived experiences of victims of juvenile carjackings, assaults, armed robberies and attempted murders. The report admits to solely using Baltimore Police Department (BPD) data: “These data come from the Baltimore Police Department’s (BPD) Juvenile Booking Data Analysis Unit, which provides a monthly report on arrests for people under 18. The reports are approximately 30 pages and categorize arrests according to age, gender, time of day, police district, and charge.”
Using only BPD’s numbers does not accurately reflect the total number of juvenile arrests in Baltimore City. According to BPD, their numbers only reflect detentions, which are when the juvenile is actually taken into custody and booked. However, they do not account for the hundreds of youths apprehended by BPD for crimes, brought to booking and directed to be released by DJS.
When this occurs, my office may receive these cases later through paper referral, or DJS may close the case independently. Our records show that we received 363 paper referrals in 2023, significantly altering the landscape of juvenile crime in Baltimore compared to what the Sentencing Project’s report attempts to portray. Their report should include these 363 cases in any assessment or analysis if the true aim is to provide a comprehensive look at juvenile crime in Baltimore and align with the lived experiences of many Baltimoreans.
As of April 24 this year, DJS had already instructed BPD to release 125 juveniles back to their parents. Since DJS rarely detains anyone, it may appear that arrests are down, when in reality, what has actually declined is accountability for juveniles.
My office’s data indicates that numbers for charging purposes have steadily increased, even spiking. Crimes of violence by juveniles have increased, likely because many of these youths are being released and come right back into the system for another case, which effectively has the community being victimized twice. For example, there have recently been a few alleged robbery cases involving juveniles who were arrested and released to their parents by DJS. Mere hours after their release, they returned to the same area and are alleged to have committed another slew of robberies. This failure underscores how the juvenile justice system has become a revolving door, leaving many residents across Maryland, especially Baltimore, frustrated.
Ultimately, my role as the state’s attorney is to fight for justice for victims and ensure the safety of all Baltimore residents and visitors. For these reasons, I advocated in Annapolis for reforms to juvenile laws that went into effect on Nov. 1, and I continue to be outspoken about the need to restore accountability to our city, especially for our young people.
Recently, my office prosecuted the case of a 16-year-old who allegedly was involved in the murder of another 16-year-old and non-fatally shooting four other teens across the street from Edmondson High School in broad daylight, which ended in a mistrial with a hung jury. What is often overlooked when we talk about the issue of juvenile crime in our city is the overwhelming amount of juvenile victims who suffer at the hands of their peers. This tragic incident resulted in the loss of one of Baltimore’s talented young students in the prime of his life, in addition to unspeakable trauma inflicted upon four other teenagers. Addressing juvenile crime directly correlates with protecting young lives. Until we can convey to our young people that their actions have consequences, we will continue to see tragic outcomes for Baltimore’s youth.
As a parent and the top prosecutor processing nearly 40,000 cases a year, I will continue to fulfill the role I was elected to through skillful prosecutions and advocating for common-sense legislation. I hope that organizations like the Sentencing Project will take more time to be thoughtful about the data they cherry-pick and more considerate about the experiences of the victims that they choose to overlook to manipulate the numbers to fit their agenda.
Ivan J. Bates (SA@stattorney.org) is state’s attorney for Baltimore City.
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