Posted on 12/02/24
| News Source: FOX45
It’s been one month since the start of the new juvenile justice laws and two months since the Department of Juvenile Services changed its ankle monitor policy. Here’s some data and questions that remain unanswered.
According to data from the Baltimore Police Department, there have been at least 70 arrests made of young people between Nov. 2 and Dec. 1. There were 21 arrests made for auto theft, 24 arrests made for robberies, and five arrests made for carjacking. The kids arrested ranged in age from 12 years old to 17 years old. The young people arrested were taken to Juvenile Booking for “review of secure detention,” according to BPD. Those totals do not include paper referrals, which can result in charges later.
Questions to DJS about how many kids have been placed on ankle monitors within the last month, what the charges were, and the total number of juveniles currently under DJS supervision went unanswered Monday. A spokesperson acknowledged FOX45’s questions, but did not provide the data as of news time.
Lawmakers spent much of the last 90-day legislative session debating juvenile crime plans and Gov. Wes Moore ultimately signed the compromise plan into law. As of Nov. 1, kids in Maryland between the ages of 10 and 12 years old can now face charges for handgun violations, third-degree sex offenses, and aggravated animal abuse. If a kid under 13 years old steals a car for the first time, a child in need of supervision petition must be filed. The new law also extends probation length for juvenile offenders and requires the state’s attorney’s offices to be involved sooner in the decision-making process for charges.
“Certainly, leading up to the Nov. 1 date, DJS has been very cooperative in incorporating us in the training that they have done in order to ensure that their staff follows the policies that are laid out in the legislation,” explained Angela Galeano, chief of staff for the Baltimore City State’s Attorney’s Office.
Galeano said it’s too early to tell whether the juvenile crime legislation is having an impact at driving down crime numbers. But robberies and carjackings remain a top concern she said. Young offenders who are accused of robbery should be detained, given that robbery is classified as a violent crime, according to Galeano and City State’s Attorney Ivan Bates. However, there have been examples – like the Butchers Hill attack of an elderly man – of young people being arrested for robbery and later released.
“We have communicated with DJS about our concerns about individuals not being detained when they should be when they are arrested for robbery. What we have seen is probably about a 35% detention rate over 2023 and through about Oct. 31, 2024,” Galeano said. “Many of those individuals were either released to their parents or released to some other agency.”