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6d ago

Roca Marks Seven Years in Baltimore as Leaders Link Program to Homicide Decline

City officials credit the group’s CBT-based outreach after shootings as a pillar of Baltimore’s crime reduction strategy.

Mayor Brandon Scott, is flanked by, Justin Fowlkes, left, and Sheldon Smith-Gray, right, both Roca participants and now Roca staff members, as they talk about the impact of Roca in the city. Roca Baltimore holds a seven-year update event to discuss the positive gains that the program has made throughout the city. Roca is a violence intervention and behavioral health program for the young people most likely to shoot or be shot. (Lloyd Fox/Staff)
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Overview

  • Roca’s seven-year impact report cites 734 participants since 2018 with 69% recording no new arrests and 87% no new incarcerations after entering the program.
  • The organization reports serving 354 high-risk young men in 2025 with a 70% retention rate in its three-year model that allows reentry after setbacks.
  • Baltimore’s After Shooting Protocol connects recent gunshot victims to Roca within 72 hours, pairing rapid outreach with Rewire CBT and transitional employment.
  • Mayor Brandon Scott and Police Commissioner Richard Worley lauded Roca as a crucial partner in the Group Violence Reduction Strategy, with leaders citing a reported 19% lower return to crime for three-year participants.
  • Baltimore counts 127 homicides so far in 2025 versus 194 in 2024 and 245 in 2023 under an updated FBI-aligned method, while Roca estimates program costs at about $40,000 per participant compared with $180,000 for incarceration.