Statement from Brian Footer Campaign on Congress’ Direct Threat to DC, Our Youth, and Long-Term Public Safety
Last night, the U.S. House of Representatives passed two destructive bills – the D.C. Crimes Act and the D.C. Juvenile Sentencing Reform Act. These measures undermine Washington, D.C.’s right to self-govern, erode proven juvenile justice practices, and put the long-term safety of our city at risk.
The D.C. Crimes Act narrows who qualifies for “youth offender” treatment by lowering the cutoff age from 24 to 18, meaning more young people will now face adult penalties. It also reduces judicial discretion in sentencing and requires the D.C. Attorney General to publicly release juvenile crime data.
The Juvenile Sentencing Reform Act goes even further, allowing children as young as 14 to be tried as adults for serious offenses and stripping judges of the discretion to weigh factors like youth development, rehabilitation potential, and mitigating circumstances.
These bills revive outdated and disproven “tough on crime” approaches that have failed communities for decades. Research is clear: trying children as adults increases recidivism and undermines rehabilitation. Reduced judicial flexibility leads to harsher, one-size-fits-all sentences that disproportionately harm Black and brown youth who already face systemic inequities in our legal system.
Far from making us safer, these measures will erode trust between communities and institutions, making it harder to build the cooperation necessary to achieve real public safety.
Congress should not be in the business of silencing D.C. residents or imposing policies that punish poverty and strip away our ability to govern ourselves. These bills violate home rule, jeopardize our future, and take us backwards at the very moment we need smart, evidence-based solutions.
What you can do:
Join Free DC’s campaign to demand Congress reverse course and stop the remaining bills still up for a vote this week: www.freedcproject.org/call-congress
Tell Senators to oppose the D.C. Crimes Act and Juvenile Sentencing Reform Act.
Join Free DC on September 18th at the House Oversight Committee hearing to make sure Congress hears directly from D.C. residents: www.freedcproject.org/event-list/house-oversight-committee-hearing
We will not stand quietly while our democracy is weakened. We will fight back with civic pressure, advocacy, and community organizing. Our kids, our values, and our future deserve better.
###
