Cohort 2022

Baltimore Witness

Bringing Transparency to Baltimore's Criminal Legal System   

Baltimore, MD

In 2021, Baltimore experienced 339 homicides and almost 900 nonfatal shootings. The victims were almost exclusively from the city’s Black community. Despite promises of reform, the city has failed to reduce violent crime, resulting in frustration, loss of trust among residents, and the continuation of a reputation as one of America’s most dangerous cities. Further, Baltimore’s criminal legal system struggles with out-of-date technology, a lack of accountability, and a lack of adequate communication throughout system processes.     

With Catalyst Grant funding, Baltimore Witness will bring evidence-based transparency of the city’s criminal legal system to the most criminalized communities. To do so, it will track every homicide and nonfatal shooting in the city from the act to judicial resolution, and use the data to evaluate how justice is dispensed. It will also assess the mayor’s violence reduction strategy, the effectiveness of the city’s other crime reduction strategies, and the impact of judicial transparency legislation. In addition, it will democratize the data by working with communities and individuals most impacted by violence and the inequity of the criminal legal system, and empower them with the information to hold elected officials accountable.