gun violence prevention DC’s public health plans to reduce gun violence were not fully implemented – and gun homicides increased. 5 Minute Read Gun violence is a public health crisis that costs the District of Columbia $2 billion each year. Black residents are disproportionately impacted by gun...
restorative justice in schools If fully implemented, restorative justice would help end the cycle of trauma and violence in schools. 4 Minute Read Restorative justice provides a trauma-informed, holistic approach to navigating student conflicts and building safe school communities. Schools that have implemented restorative justice have seen...
Prevention Skip to issues The current system of prosecution, punishment, and policing isn’t preventing violence. Too many DC residents experience unacceptable levels of violence. But when violence erupts, it almost exclusively impacts Black residents. About 95 percent of victims and suspects in homicides and 94 percent of victims...
dc crime lab A failing crime lab means innocent people are convicted of crimes, and victims do not receive justice. 6 Minute Read Without a well-run crime lab that adheres to the best practices in the field of forensic science, innocent people may end up convicted of crimes,...
Car chases A high-speed police chase needlessly puts DC residents at risk. 6 Minute Read Car chases – high-speed police pursuits of an individual – are deadly actions. At least 3,336 people died in police car chases in the U.S. between 2017 and 2022, including at least...
Earned compliance credits Giving more rewards than sanctions achieves the best results for people under supervision. 5 Minute Read In DC, about 30 percent of people on probation, parole, and supervised release are arrested and end up back in jail because of a violation of their supervision. Among...
Decriminalizing sex work 7 Minute Read Decriminalizing sex work is a matter of health, safety, and survival. DC’s sex workers have reported that they sometimes engage in their work as a matter of survival. Under criminalization, a sex worker can face a whole series of threats to their...
probation caps Capping probation terms would save DC taxpayers millions of dollars in jail costs. 3 Minute Read Nearly 560 people (8.1 percent) in DC who were on probation in 2022 were revoked to incarceration. Many people fail on probation because the sentence is too long, increasing the...
sex registries Registries increase homelessness and joblessness and don’t increase safety. 4 Minute Read https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5POMr7q7P0g Registration and notification laws for people convicted of sex offenses cause significant harm without providing any real public safety benefits. The scientific consensus that has emerged over the past quarter century shows that...
Case screening Pre-charge case screening by prosecutors can avoid the negative consequences of an arrest. 6 Minute Read Some people arrested by police in DC are not charged with a crime, but that person can still be each person is nevertheless handcuffed, booked, detained overnight, transported to...