More Incarceration in D.C. Will Not Increase Public Safety
The RCCA is a common sense, evidence-based policy that promotes justice and public safety.
This comprehensive update to D.C.’s criminal code increases sentences for certain serious offenses while adjusting others to make them more proportionate. The RCCA authorizes lengthy sentences for serious offenses like carjacking, robbery, and burglary, that are higher than current sentences imposed by D.C. judges. The RCCA gives judges greater discretion on sentencing by eliminating mandatory minimums and restores the right to a jury trial for misdemeanors, bringing D.C. in line with most other states in the country.
D.C leaders and residents overwhelmingly support a revised code
The RCCA is the result of a robust and collaborative effort over 16 years involving many stakeholders including prosecutors, defense attorneys, and legal scholars. District voters overwhelmingly support the RCCA and the reforms it brings to The District. 83% percent support the revisions made by the RCCA. 93% support jury trial for offenses that carry any jail time and support eliminating mandatory minimum sentences by a 3 to 1 margin.
The RCCA is a common sense, evidence-based policy that promotes justice and public safety.
This comprehensive update to D.C.’s criminal code increases sentences for certain serious offenses while adjusting others to make them more proportionate. The RCCA authorizes lengthy sentences for serious offenses like carjacking, robbery, and burglary, that are higher than current sentences imposed by D.C. judges. The RCCA gives judges greater discretion on sentencing by eliminating mandatory minimums and restores the right to a jury trial for misdemeanors, bringing D.C. in line with most other states in the country.
Issue Center
Your Deep Dive:
D.C. Deserves a Modern Criminal Code
