NEWSBaltimore State's Attorney Marilyn Mosby announced on Friday that the city of Baltimore would permanently suspend prosecution of prostitution, drug possession, minor traffic offenses, and other so-called "quality of life" crimes. Mosby had previously announced the policy as a temporary measure that was allegedly designed to slow the spread of COVID-19 among the city's police force and prison population. However, in Friday's press conference, Mosby claimed that the policy had served to lower violent crime in Baltimore, and that it proved that her vision of "criminal justice reform" worked. Thus, the policy would become permanent.
According to NBC News, Mosby claimed during the press conference that since the implementation of the policy, violent crime had declined 20 percent and property crime had declined 36 percent. "Clearly, the data suggest there is no public safety value in prosecuting low-level offenses," Mosby said.
Of course these statistics reflect merely that police have made fewer arrests for these crimes, not that they have not happened. Notably, the city's homicide rate — which is difficult to fudge since homicides are virtually always reported — fell only very slightly from 2019, which was a record-setting year in Baltimore. Additionally, it should be noted that property and drug crimes were reported to have fallen nationwide in 2020, including in places that did not implement such policies, which suggests that the falling rate of those crimes has more to do with the existence of the pandemic (either in terms of reduced police enforcement or reduced criminal activity) than the implementation of any "criminal justice reform program." However, it is true that the nation overall saw a large spike in homicides, aggravated assaults, and gun assaults in 2020, and Baltimore did not.
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