US House to vote on DC CRIMES Act; District leaders voice opposition
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WASHINGTON (DC News Now) — The House is expected to vote Wednesday on a bill that drastically would change the District’s ability to modify, enact or repeal criminal sentencing laws.
The D.C. Criminal Reforms to Immediately Make Everyone Safe (CRIMES) Act would, in part, amend the Youth Rehabilitation Act of 1985.
Under the current law, people who are younger than 25 can be considered “youth offenders,” allowing them to receive lighter sentences and to have more options when it comes to facilities, treatment and services. The CRIMES Act would cap youth offender status at 18.
The CRIMES Act also would prohibit the D.C. Council from passing any legislation that would change criminal sentencing laws.
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In light of this provision, many officials in the District have urged House members not to pass the legislation.
In a statement, D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb said, in part: “Congress cannot have it both ways – they cannot criticize DC’s crime rate and then block our every attempt to reduce crime. If passed, this bill would prevent DC leaders from taking critical steps needed to improve public safety and protect District residents.”
In a section of a joint letter to the House, Schwalb, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser and Council Chairman Phil Mendelson wrote the following:
If H.R. 7530 were law today, it would block us from taking some of these steps. By prohibiting the Council from enacting “any act, resolution, or rule to change any criminal liability sentence,” the bill would prevent District policymakers from responding to emerging crime trends by enhancing criminal penalties, or even create new crimes. Swift and certain consequences are essential to deterring crime, and persistent congressional interference is at odds with that goal. Given recent experience, these delays could be extensive, preventing courts from imposing longer sentences while legislation languishes in Congress.
Muriel Bowser, Mayor of the District of Columbia; Phil Mendelson, Chairman, Council of the District of Columbia; Brian L. Schwalb, Attorney General for the District of Columbia
Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton, who represents the District in the House of Representatives, also called on the House to vote against the bill, describing it as “radical, undemocratic, and paternalistic” and “as poorly drafted as it is offensive.”
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