The Washington, D.C. city council voted on Tuesday to move ahead with the complete overhaul of the capital's criminal code despite the Mayor and police chief voicing opposition to provisions that will coddle criminals.
In short, it give a jury trial for anyone charged with a misdemeanor, eliminates all mandatory minimum sentences except for first-degree murder, and expands the ability of people serving prison sentences to petition a judge for early release, according to DCist. The bill has been championed by Councilmember Charles Allen (D).
Other serious crimes that will have lesser penalties include burglary, robbery, carjacking, and illegally carrying a gun.
"This will never satisfy every single person on every single issue," Allen said on Tuesday about the overhaul. "This is not meant to be the perfect solution… but a strong step forward."
Another vote on the crime bill is expected to take place towards the beginning of December and, should it get Mayor Muriel Bowser's approval as is, it will take until 2025 before the changes are implemented. Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner K. Denise Rucker Krepp, a Democrat, has been a vocal critic of the soft-on-crime bill.
The DC Council voted today on a bill that enables rapists and murderers to be released early from prison. @charlesallen calls the bill a “monumental, consequential piece of legislation.” I call it a failure of leadership. #DCCriminalCode https://t.co/K8i7ZyQRlX
— ANC6B10 (@Anc6B10) November 1, 2022
Rape victims don’t get a do over and murder victims are dead. Really not sure why the DC Council is voting on bill today that enables early release of rapists and murderers from prison. Also puzzled why folks are defending the bill. What happened to accountability? https://t.co/faKf23FR2X pic.twitter.com/aqMd1TEs38
— ANC6B10 (@Anc6B10) November 1, 2022
The criminal code overhaul comes amid a continued crime problem in Washington, D.C. that has residents saying they feel unsafe, with carjackings and vehicle part theft being a major issue.