A House Republican-led bill aimed at overhauling Washington, D.C.’s criminal policies passed with the support of 18 Democrats. The bill, known as the D.C. Criminal Reform to Immediately Make Everyone Safer (D.C. CRIMES) Act, targets how juveniles and young adults are prosecuted. It passed the House by a vote of 225 to 181, with only Democratic lawmakers opposed. Democrats who supported the bill include Reps. Jared Moskowitz, Pat Ryan, Henry Cuellar, Vicente Gonzalez, Jared Golden, Marcy Kaptur, Ruben Gallego, and Angie Craig, among others.
Rep. Byron Donalds, the sponsor of the bill, stated that the nation’s capital is experiencing a historic crime wave due to progressive, soft-on-crime policies, and Congress has a constitutional responsibility to step in when local government fails. Speaker Mike Johnson similarly blamed Democratic policies for fueling the city’s crime issues. This is not the first time Congress has exercised its authority over D.C. to address crime; last March, both the House and Senate overturned a proposed overhaul of the D.C. criminal code that would have reduced minimum sentences for armed carjackings and expanded the right to jury trials.
Donalds’ bill would lower the age classifying “youths” from under 25 to under 18 to allow D.C. courts more flexibility in sentencing for crimes committed by young offenders. It would prevent courts from imposing sentences below minimum statutory requirements and stop the city council from changing these requirements. Additionally, the bill would require the D.C. attorney general to create a public website providing statistics on youth and juvenile crime rates. Crime rates in D.C. have been on the rise, with a 35% increase in homicides from 2022 to 2023, a 39% increase in overall violent crime, and significant increases in robberies and motor vehicle thefts.
The passage of the D.C. CRIMES Act highlights the increasing urgency of addressing crime in the nation’s capital for lawmakers on both sides of the aisle. The bill received bipartisan support, with several Democrats joining House Republicans in voting for it. Rep. Donalds and Speaker Johnson both argue that Democratic policies have contributed to a rise in crime in D.C., and that Congress has a responsibility to act in the interest of the District. The bill aims to make changes to how juveniles and young adults are prosecuted, with a focus on maintaining minimum statutory requirements for sentencing and providing better public information on crime rates.
Moving forward, the D.C. CRIMES Act will impact how youth offenders are prosecuted in the nation’s capital, and aims to address the increasing crime rates that have plagued the city in recent years. By lowering the age classification for “youths” and ensuring that courts adhere to minimum sentencing requirements, the bill seeks to restore public safety in the capital. With bipartisan support and a focus on accountability and transparency, the bill represents a significant step towards addressing the crime wave that has affected Washington, D.C. Democrats who supported the bill recognize the importance of taking action to make the city safer, signaling a bipartisan effort to address a pressing issue facing the nation’s capital.
