WASHINGTON 鈥� A measure that gives second chances to younger offenders who commit violent crimes is now being debated amid calls for change.
鈥淚鈥檝e got folks in my ANC [Advisory Neighborhood Commission] that are being raped, stabbed, armed carjackings, carjackings, theft, armed theft,鈥� said Denise Krepp, an Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner in Southeast. 鈥淚鈥檝e got everything short of murder.鈥�
Krepp was among the local residents to raise concerns about repeat offenders being released only to commit more crimes during the D.C. Council’s Public Safety Committee’s聽roundtable on sentencing on Thursday.
She聽criticized the Youth Rehabilitation Act, which allows non-murder felony convictions to be set aside for those who are younger than 22 years old at the time of their plea or verdict, and who successfully complete their sentences.
鈥淭hat means you can set aside a conviction for rape,鈥� she said. 鈥淪o you have an individual who鈥檚 been raped and is going to remember that rape her entire life 鈥� but that conviction can be set aside.鈥�
Josh Rovner, an advocate with the Sentencing Project, defended the program. 鈥淚t鈥檚 not a form of leniency, it鈥檚 an incentive to smooth reentry,鈥� he said.
Others at the roundtable, held by the D.C. Council Judiciary and Public Safety Committee, argued that for the program to be successful, D.C.鈥檚 leaders need to make more resources available in areas such as mental health and job training. They also recommended younger offenders be held at a facility in the District instead of the current arrangement that has them sent to federal facilities in a number of states.
The roundtable came together following a series in The Washington Post, highlighting shortcomings in the District鈥檚 criminal justice system.
