House Passes ‘DC Crimes Act,’ Redefines Youth Offender

The House of Representatives passed two bills on Sept. 16 that seek to change how crimes are prosecuted in Washington as the Trump administration continues to keep the National Guard active in the nation’s capital to crack down on crime. The first bill, titled the “D.C. Crimes Act,” would limit the D.C. government’s authority over its own criminal sentencing laws. It also eliminates its authority to change any criminal liability sentence that is in effect on the date the bill is enacted.  It also lowers the age at which an individual is recognized as a youth offender from 24 to 18, and requires criminal sentencing to at least match mandatory minimums for adult offenders, overruling local policy. In addition, it requires D.C.’s attorney general to publish a public website that displays youth criminal act statistics....