Youth homicides down 83% in Baltimore amid increase in youth engagement, mayor says
Youth homicides in Baltimore are down nearly 83% year-to-date, according to Mayor Brandon Scott.
The update came as the city shared the results of its "BMore this Summer: Outside in '25" Youth Engagement Strategy. The program is aimed at tackling youth violence by increasing community engagement.
Summer youth engagement strategy
The mayor's office said events, opportunities and resources for young people were combined with "ground-level safety engagement" in areas where teens typically gather on weekend evenings from April through mid-September.
Scott also said the goal has been to deemphasize the role of law enforcement in Baltimore's curfew enforcement through staff at various city agencies and community partners.
"Baltimore's young people deserve opportunities to have fun and be safe — which is the ultimate goal of all of our summer youth engagement investments," Scott said. "Supporting our young people and encouraging safe behavior is an important part of our work to improve public safety outcomes for all Baltimoreans."
From early April through September, youth engagement staff had more than 977 positive interactions and documented 113 requests for support, including employment, housing assistance and school reengagement, according to the mayor's office.
Youth programming
The mayor's office said thousands of Baltimore youth took part in city-run programs ranging from job opportunities to recreation.
The city's YouthWorks initiative extended more than 8,600 job offers across nearly 700 employers, while more than 3,200 young people attended summer camps at recreation centers.
Events like the Spring Break TeenFest, Splash Fest pool parties and Rock the Block gatherings drew more than 4,000 participants combined.
Nearly 6,900 teens and young adults also joined Late Night Weekend Hype, which kept nine rec centers open until 11 p.m. on weekends, the mayor's office said.
In addition, the city's Back to School event provided more than 2,100 backpacks, 800 hygiene kits and 4,200 meals to families.
Baltimore City Public Schools offered more than 17,600 slots across 150 summer learning programs, ranging from enrichment camps to credit recovery and career readiness tracks.
Drops in juvenile crime
According to the mayor's office, youth homicides are down 83% so far this year, with two cases reported in 2025 compared to 12 during the same period in 2024.
Aggravated assaults among youth have fallen 20%, from 344 in 2024 to 274 this year. Robbery victimizations are down nearly 31%, dropping from 278 in 2024 to 192 in 2025.
Youth shooting victimizations rose 17% this year, from 23 cases in 2024 to 27 in 2025, but remain down 64% from 2023, when 74 young people were nonfatally shot, data from the mayor's office shows.
Juvenile arrests are also down slightly, with 629 so far in 2025 compared to 636 during the same timeframe last year.
Youth shooting victims are up slightly by 17.4%, however.
