Keeping Communities Safe from Soft-on-Crime Policies

Despite rampant violent crime – including against Members of Congress, their staff, and interns – and D.C. Metropolitan Police officers reaching the lowest they have been in the past 50 years, the D.C. Council has continued to enact soft-on-crime policies that put residents and visitors of Washington, D.C., at risk. 

One area of significant concern is the rise in juvenile crime in D.C. The number of juveniles arrested has risen each year since 2020 and more than 2,000 juveniles were arrested in 2023 and 2024. In 2024, juveniles made up 51.8 percent of all robbery arrests, and as of April of this year, juveniles made up 60 percent of all carjacking arrests. 

Since assuming the majority, House Republicans have worked tirelessly to combat these radical policies that threaten the safety of everyone in D.C. When the D.C. Council passed legislation to eliminate mandatory minimum sentences for any crime besides first degree murder, reduce maximum penalties for violent crimes, and get rid of life sentences, we blocked their dangerous legislation with H.J. Res. 26 – a bill House Democrats overwhelmingly opposed.

Now, once again, House Republicans are bringing forward legislation to keep Americans safe in our nation’s capital. Our legislation addresses juvenile crime by lowering the age that defines a “youth” from under 25 to under 18, requiring the D.C. Attorney General to create a website with juvenile crime statistics so policymakers can better create policy reforms, and blocking the ability of judges to sentence youth offenders below mandatory minimum sentences.

The American people are fed up with out-of-control crime. We must take actions to ensure criminals are kept off our streets and crimes do not go lightly punished.

H.R. 4922, the DC CRIMES Act of 2025, introduced by Rep. Byron Donalds, allows Congress to exert their oversight power over the D.C. Council and promote safety in Washington by lowering the age that defines a “youth” from under 25 to under 18 and blocking the Council’s pursuit of soft-on-crime sentencing and radical progressive policies.

While the D.C. Council continues to pass and defend laws that make it easier for violent criminals to walk the streets, House Republicans are fighting to keep our nation’s capital safe for residents and visitors.
Cracking Down on Juvenile Crime in D.C.

In the District of Columbia, juvenile crime has reached historic levels – more than twice the national average as of February 2024. The number of juveniles arrested has risen each year since 2020, with more than 2,000 juveniles arrested in 2023 and 2024. And these aren’t minor crimes – in 2024, juveniles made up 51.8 percent of all robbery arrests, and as of April of this year, juveniles made up 60 percent of all carjacking arrests.

Meanwhile, kids in D.C. are skipping school and failing to get an education, with around one third of the 16,000 D.C. public school students skipping class during the 2023-2024 school year. It should come as no surprise that the group where truancy is growing the fastest – middle school aged students – is also the age group responsible for the spike in car jackings and other serious crimes in 2023.

In order to lower crime in our nation’s capital, we must acknowledge the threat these young people are posing to public safety, increase deterrence for juvenile crime, and hold accountable those who commit serious crimes.

Teenagers who commit serious and violent crimes such as murder, sexual abuse, and armed robbery must be held accountable for the pain they inflict and the danger they pose by being tried as adults. Almost 200 juveniles arrested for violent crimes in 2024 had previous violent crime arrests on their records.

Rep. Brandon Gill’s legislation, H.R. 5140, the District of Columbia Juvenile Sentencing Reform Act, lowers the age at which a minor may be tried as an adult for certain violent criminal offenses, including murder, sexual abuse, armed robbery, and first degree burglary, in the District of Columbia from 16 to 14 years of age.

To fight back against rising juvenile crime, we must hold young people accountable for the seriousness of their crimes and the harm they perpetrate on public safety. House Republicans will continue implementing tough-on-crime legislation to make our nation’s capital safe for everyone.