A significant rise in homicides in Boston has experts raising concerns, highlighting the potential impact of lenient crime policies that are emerging in cities across the nation.

Data recently released by the Major Cities Chiefs Association reveals that Boston experienced 17 homicides in the first half of 2025, a substantial increase from only seven in the same timeframe last year, marking a 143% rise. Meanwhile, on a national scale, homicide rates have decreased by nearly 20% over the same period.

Wendy Murphy, a Massachusetts-based legal analyst and former prosecutor who is well-known for advocating victims’ rights, expressed her concerns to Fox News Digital, describing the statistics as a significant warning that Boston’s progressive criminal justice policies may be having unintended negative effects.

“When law enforcement lacks essential resources, it emboldens criminals,” Murphy stated. “This can lead to an increase in various crimes, including homicides.”

A photo captures tents from a homeless camp lining a sidewalk in the area known as Mass. and Cass in Boston, taken on October 23, 2021. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer, File)

The midyear report from the Major Cities Chiefs Association, which analyzed data from 68 major U.S. police departments, indicates a general decline in violent crime across the country. Boston, however, is among the few cities that have seen a notable rise in homicide rates.

“The data show the rest of the country getting safer,” Murphy said. “But in Boston, it’s getting deadlier because the message from the top is that accountability doesn’t matter.”

Murphy argued that Massachusetts has developed a reputation as a lenient state for criminal offenders. She said that, outside of homicide cases, offenders can often expect minimal accountability, which she contends has made the state attractive to people seeking to avoid serious punishment.

“Criminals love coming to Massachusetts because they can expect not to be held accountable for almost anything they do, short of homicide,” she said. “We are the go-to state.”

‘Hands tied’ policing

Murphy said that Boston’s leadership under Mayor Michelle Wu and Gov. Maura Healey has weakened law enforcement by discouraging arrests and prosecutions for lower-level crimes. Fox News Digital has reached out to Wu and Healey’s offices for comment. 

Wu has backed what she calls progressive law enforcement reforms, including moves to limit prosecutions for drug possession and certain quality-of-life offenses. Murphy said those policies have created a culture of hesitation among police.

“When police know they’ll get in trouble for doing their jobs, the message is clear: don’t enforce the law,” she said. “That’s when criminals know they can act with impunity.”

Boston Mayor Michelle Wu smiles while addressing supporters during her re-election campaign launch at the Cyclorama at Boston Center for the Arts. Wu has backed what she calls progressive law enforcement reforms in the city. (Erin Clark/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)

She points to Boston’s notorious Mass. and Cass corridor, the city’s open-air drug and homeless encampment, as evidence that non-enforcement has spiraled into open criminality.

“It’s become a symbol of what happens when leadership confuses compassion with inaction,” Murphy said. “You can’t let drug dealing, prostitution and violence play out in front of children and call it ‘progressive.’”

Murphy said the majority of violent crimes are committed by a small group of repeat offenders who cycle through the system thanks to bail reform and diversion programs.

“Almost everyone who gets arrested has a long record,” she said. “They’ve learned that no matter how many times they offend, they won’t go to jail, and that’s why they keep doing it.”

A discarded syringe litters the ground near Mass. and Cass. After funding for the city’s needle collection program ceased, complaints of dirty drug needles littering the streets have increased.  (Lane Turner/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)

Boston officials say the troubled Mass. and Cass area is safer and cleaner following last year’s removal of homeless encampments, but many residents and advocates argue the crisis has simply shifted rather than improved. 

Wu has described the area as being in “a different and better, safer position” than a year ago, citing efforts to connect people to housing and services. Still, some neighborhood leaders contend conditions remain dire. 

“The conditions now are about as bad as I’ve ever seen them,” Andrew Brand, who has lived in the South End for nearly 30 years and is the co-president of Worcester Square Neighborhood Association, told WCVB. “In the past, it was very unpleasant. People urinating, leaving feces, needles, blocking things. But there wasn’t any violence. And now we’re seeing violence and break-ins.”

Victims losing faith

As a victims’ rights attorney, Murphy said she hears the same refrain repeatedly: “Why bother calling the police?”

“If your abuser keeps getting released, you’re being told the law won’t protect you,” she said. “That’s how you end up with repeat offenders and eventually, more murders.”

She argued that this erosion of trust extends beyond domestic violence cases, as everyday citizens conclude the system does not work on their behalf.

“You’re creating a culture where laws don’t matter,” Murphy said. “That’s when the line between petty crime and deadly violence disappears.”

Boston City Councilor John Fitzgerald speaks during the Boston City Council’s on-site hearing on the status of the opioid crisis at the Mass. and Cass intersection on Sept. 4, 2025.  (Matthew J. Lee/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)

Boston officials have touted lower overall crime figures, pointing to year-over-year drops in robberies and assaults. Murphy said that’s misleading because many incidents never make it into official statistics.

“It’s like being told by the weatherman it’s sunny out, and then you walk outside into pouring rain,” she said. “People can see the truth with their own eyes.”

Murphy argued that many jurisdictions have an “illusion of safety,” where crimes are happening, but offenses are diverted, dismissed or never charged. Murphy said Boston’s homicide spike should serve as a wake-up call for voters.

“If your leaders say they won’t prosecute crime, vote them out,” she said. “This isn’t left versus right — it’s about whether you believe in law and order.”

She called public safety “the government’s first duty” and argued that Massachusetts has “confused kindness with chaos.”

“A city that stops enforcing its laws will eventually lose control of its streets,” Murphy warned. “And that’s exactly what we’re watching happen.”