This bill makes it harder for Washington DC to change its criminal sentencing laws in the future. Right now, DC's government can adjust how long sentences are for different crimes, but this bill would lock in the current sentences and prevent DC from modifying them. The bill also changes how the courts handle young offenders. Currently, judges can sentence people under 24 years old as "youth offenders" and have some flexibility to give them lighter sentences or alternatives to prison—for example, probation instead of jail time. This bill would lower the youth offender age limit from 24 down to 18, meaning fewer young people would get this special consideration. It also removes judges' ability to sentence youth offenders to less than the mandatory minimum sentence that the law requires, taking away their discretion in these cases. Finally, the bill requires DC's Attorney General to publish information about youth offender crimes on a public website and update it every month so the public can track this data.

DC CRIMES Act of 2024

Donalds, Byron

DC Criminal Reforms to Immediately Make Everyone Safe Act or the DC CRIMES ActThis bill limits the authority of the District of Columbia (DC) government over its criminal sentencing laws.&nbsp;The bill eliminates the DC government’s authority to enact any act, resolution, or rule to change any criminal liability sentence in effect on the date of the bill's enactment.The bill also (1) reduces the maximum age of a youth offender from 24 years to 18 years, and (2) repeals a provision that allows a DC criminal court to issue a sentence to a youth offender that is less than the mandatory minimum term otherwise required by law. A DC criminal court currently has the discretion to reduce or modify certain criminal sentences for a youth offender under specified circumstances. For example, a DC court may sentence a youth offender to probation in lieu of confinement. (However, this discretion does not apply to several specified violent crimes.)&nbsp;Additionally, the bill directs the Office of the Attorney General for DC to publish, and update monthly, certain youth offender crime data on a publicly accessible website.&nbsp;