BOSTON — Jail cells are swinging open across Massachusetts, unleashing chaos on Boston’s streets as more than 500 accused criminals — from armed robbers to drug dealers — walk free.

The courtroom collapse stems from a pay war between bar advocates — private lawyers who defend poor defendants — and Beacon Hill. These attorneys stopped taking new cases in May after years of rock-bottom wages. With suspects left stranded, the state’s highest court imposed the “Lavallee Protocol”: after seven days without a lawyer, defendants walk. After 45 days, their case is dismissed entirely.

That rule has now gutted dockets across the state: 206 dismissals in Boston and Chelsea, and 369 more in Middlesex County. The charges tossed range from drug trafficking to violent assaults, with victims left abandoned while suspects slip back into neighborhoods.

Governor Maura Healey tried to paper over the crisis with a $10 hourly raise for attorneys, with another $10 next year. Lawyers had demanded $35 more, calling the state’s offer a joke. To make matters worse, lawmakers added anti-trust language threatening to prosecute attorneys if they protest again.

All this while Massachusetts Democrats have poured billions into benefits for illegal migrants — shelter, health care, housing — a centerpiece of their agenda. Now the state claims it can’t afford to properly fund the very attorneys keeping the courts running. The result: jail cells swing open, criminals pour out, and residents are left to pay the price.

Mayor Michelle Wu has been silent, Healey is fumbling, and Boston is bracing for a lawless autumn.