“Growing Up Baltimore” – Drop In Teen Homicides: Trend or Anomaly?
Last year, 15 juveniles were murdered in Baltimore, about half as many as the year before. And so far this year, no teenagers have been killed. Besides homicides, non-violent shootings also fell by nearly 140 over the year. Donald DeVore, the secretary of the state’s Department of Juvenile Services, said it’s partly the result of government agencies working together more closely.
“We can say, with some certainty, now having several years of working under our belt, that it is working. And the cooperation and the collaboration between the Department of Juvenile Services and the Baltimore Police Department has never been stronger.”
DeVore says the DJS, police and the city health department have compiled an updated list of 300 minors in Baltimore to focus the effort on – those most likely to end up either in a hospital emergency room or a jail cell.
“We identified kids that were at-risk of being injured, shot or killed. And, sometimes, these were kids who were brothers and sisters of others that had been shot. Other times, they were kids that we were just concerned about, ‘cause we knew they were in warring gang factions. And we developed safety plans for those kids to try to keep them and their families safe. And that’s worked as well for us.”
But not everyone is so convinced.
”It’s too soon to have a parade.”
Dawn Eslinger is an epidemiologist at the Violence Intervention Program, or V-I-P, at the Shock-Trauma Unit at the University of Maryland Medical Center. The V-I-P counsels the victims of violence. Eslinger says she’s seen no decrease in the number of young victims her program deals with.
“I think it’s been very cold. The weather still plays a part of it. When people aren’t outside, they’re less involved in conflict. I think we need to hold our breath for a little bit before we celebrate.”
This is not the first time there’s been a sudden drop in the number of teen homicides. In 2005, there were just 13 teen homicides, following three previous years of 30-plus murders. That drop was followed by three straight years of almost 30 teen homicides until last year.
Eslinger and others say the sudden drop may be a “statistical anomaly” – a demographic jump owing more to likely homicide victims or perpetrators aging into the adult systems rather than a genuine reduction.
“There are a lot of 17-year-olds who have since turned 18 and become adults. So, now they’re not counted in the youth system. They’re some statistics that count up to age 21, but for those that only count up to 18, then there’s the statistical anomaly.”
Others say the drop in teen homicides may be due to a change in criminal tactics. Assistant City State’s Attorney Janet Hankin, who prosecutes violent juvenile offenders, says that there’s anecdotal evidence to suggest that some armed teenage “trappers,” or drug dealers, have adopted a less-violent approach to settling turf disputes.
“Some times, the shootings are warning shots, over the bow of the ship, if you will. That the intent really isn’t to kill. The intent is to send a warning to keep away. That if one really wants to execute someone, they will do it, as opposed to sending a warning to stay off my turf, or away from my girl, or something like that. I just think, on the basis of what we know, it’s difficult to tell whether we can say anything other than the trend is uneven.”
Lt. Col. Jesse Oden, of the Juvenile Warrant Apprehension Task Force, which brings youthful offenders into custody, said he hadn’t heard about warning shots. He thinks the drop in homicides can be attributed to hard work, not statistical anomalies or luck.
“They’re being detained. A lot of these kids, who were not getting violated at the beginning, are now getting violated. And once that warrant has been issued, we go out immediately and begin looking for them to take them into custody, before they become victims or suspects.”
For some, the debate over causes for a drop in youth homicides doesn’t really matter.
“I think it’s remarkable that we could say or even imagine that the fact that only 15 people died that that’s some kind of success. It’s insanity. If you are the mother, the father, the sister, the brother, of one of the 15, do you think it’s success if we only have 15.”
That’s Marvin “Doc” Cheatham, the president of the Baltimore chapter of the N-doubleA-CP, a tireless campaigner against youth violence.
“We have reached a point in time where we’re allowing statistics to justify whether we should, or should not, do things. All you need to do is walk in the streets, talk to the people, they’ll tell you, they don’t feel any safer. As a matter of fact, they’ll tell you they’re more afraid than they ever have been.”
I’m Sunni Khalid, reporting in Baltimore, for 88.1, WYPR.
Our series, “Growing Up Baltimore” is made possible, in part, by the Annie E. Casey Foundation and the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg Center for the Prevention of Youth Violence. The findings and conclusions of our series do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of these organizations. Our series, concludes with a report on the impact caused by the murder more than a year ago of former City Councilman Ken Harris, one of Baltimore’s foremost advocates for youth – whose alleged killer, ironically, was just 15-years old.
Filed Under: Articles
