mandatory minimums Mandatory minimums are extreme sentences that DC residents and victims want eliminated. 4 Minute Read https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n0GOwTEBHSYBy imposing mandatory minimum sentences, courts lose the ability to customize sentences based on individual circumstances and victims’ stated goals and preferences. Mandatory minimum laws do not deter crime but...
All articles Policing Mandatory Arrests Qualified Immunity Repeat Arrests Special and campus police Car Chases Consent Searches Jump-Outs Citation in lieu of arrest Body Searches ...
body searches Invasive body searches strip people of their dignity, privacy, and cause trauma. 3 Minute Read While Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) policy limits invasive searches, lawsuits have shown that some officers violate these policies. These painful and humiliating invasive searches cause unnecessary harm, can cause long-lasting...
repeat arrests Reducing repeat arrests by expanding treatment would increase safety and reduce harm. 5 Minute Read There are a small number of individuals who are frequently re-arrested and jailed, sometimes from the same locations. They end up going through the criminal legal system over and over without...
Criminal record discrimination People with criminal records lack core protections from the systemic discrimination they face. 3 Minute Read Individuals with prior criminal records often encounter discrimination in areas like employment, education, and housing. In DC, this discrimination disproportionately affects Black individuals, with 96 percent of those...
criminal record sealing and expungement Arrest and conviction records are lifetime barriers to employment and housing. 3 Minute Read One in seven DC residents have criminal records, and they face hundreds of laws, policies and practices that can prevent them from getting a job, finding housing, pursuing...
Jury Selection Jury service is a key civic duty – peremptory challenges prevent Black people from serving. 4 Minute Read Either the prosecutor or the defense can reject a potential juror without giving a reason; these are called “peremptory challenges.” In DC criminal trials, each side is allowed...
Charging children as adults A judge, not a prosecutor, should decide whether a child should be charged as an adult. 4 Minute Read DC is one of only 14 jurisdictions in the country where a prosecutor can directly charge a child as an adult without a court...
special and campus police Cosmetologists have more specialized training than armed special police officers in DC. 5 Minute Read Along with more than 3,000 Metropolitan Police Officers, there are 7,700 DC special police officers (SPOs) in DC who are privately-hired security guards assigned to guard stores, offices and...
Mandatory arrests Mandatory arrest laws deter some victims from reporting crimes. 4 Minute Read DC requires that the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) make at least one arrest when responding to a domestic violence call. Forcing officers to make an arrest can make situations more dangerous, deter people from...