Baltimore Officials Voice Concern As Juvenile Crime Persists Under New DJS Leadership

By FOX45
Posted on 10/09/25 | News Source: FOX45

Baltimore, MD - Oct. 9, 2025 - The Department of Juvenile Services may be under new leadership, but this week, city officials said they're still waiting to see change on the streets.

On WBAL Radio, Mayor Brandon Scott and Police Commissioner Richard Worley both voiced ongoing frustrations over repeat juvenile offenders.

“Unfortunately, these young people still continue to drive our violence,” Worley said. “We’re arresting the same kids, and the same kids are getting back out.”

“Look, this is a small group of young people that we continuously see over and over again,” Scott echoed.

Worley went on to point to a string of burglaries that hit Hampden businesses hard last month. Surveillance video shows a group of young people breaking into several stores, then reportedly, taking off with several cash registers.

Baltimore Police arrested three juveniles in connection to more than a dozen area burglaries. But despite a combined twelve prior arrests between them, DJS only detained one, releasing the other two on electronic monitoring.

“They don’t see the consequences for their actions. They just let them free,” an area business owner said.

“If we’ve locked you up three, four, five times; obviously you’re not learning your lesson, so that means we need to escalate the enforcement,” Worley said.

On Thursday, FOX45 took those concerns to DJS’s new secretary, Betsy Fox Tolentino, sending her the following questions:

While DJS didn’t directly answer those questions, they did respond with a statement, saying Fox Tolentino met with Worley this week and is committed to strengthening the working relationship between DJS and BPD.

DJS’s full statement:

Since taking on the role of Acting Secretary, Betsy Fox Tolentino has engaged in multiple conversations with Mayor Brandon Scott and Police Commissioner Richard Worley. Just yesterday, she met again with Commissioner Worley and his team to continue discussions on strengthening collaboration.
These are difficult but essential conversations that help DJS identify the small number of young people falling through the cracks, enabling them to be connected with the appropriate level of care, services, and supervision. DJS remains committed to working closely with partners like the City of Baltimore to make communities safer. We are already seeing the positive results of this collaboration in real time.
During this fiscal year, DJS has invested more than $5 million in community-based services focused on the highest-risk young people, including evidence-based programs such as Multi-Systemic Therapy and Roca. These investments demonstrate DJS’s commitment to expanding access to services that equip youth and families with proven tools and skills to help disrupt violence, strengthen emotional regulation, and improve family functioning.