Washington, D.C. — U.S. Senator Ted Budd (R-N.C.) joined Senators John Cornyn (R-Texas), Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), and Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) in introducing the Just Incarceration of Criminal Elements (JUSTICE) in D.C. Act this week. The bill would eliminate two Washington, D.C. laws, the Incarceration Reduction Act (IRAA) and the Second Look Amendment Act(SLAA), which allows criminals to be improperly and prematurely released solely because they were under the age of 25 when they committed a crime. The D.C. laws disregard the severity of the crime or the length of their initial sentence, allowing even violent offenders convicted of murder to gain access to shortened sentences.
“Our country has endured far too many horrific acts of violence because of weak sentencing and the premature release of dangerous criminals in Democrat-run cities like Washington, D.C.,” said Senator Budd. “My home state of North Carolina has suffered as well—just last month, a young Ukrainian refugee in Charlotte was brutally murdered by a repeat offender with fourteen prior arrests. These ‘criminal reform’ experiments have delivered neither safety, justice, nor rehabilitation. It is long past time to put a stop to them. I am proud to stand with Senator Cornyn in creating strict standards to prevent judges from releasing violent offenders onto the streets of D.C.”
“The Incarceration Reduction Act and Second Look Amendment Act exemplify the mindless policies of D.C.’s progressive city council that have incentivized crime in our nation’s capital for far too long,” said Senator Cornyn. “The JUSTICE in D.C. Act puts common sense back at the forefront of D.C.’s justice system by ensuring no offender receives a shortened sentence just because they committed a crime – including murder – before the age of 25. U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro has called for these ridiculous laws to be eliminated, and I couldn’t agree more.”
“Repealing these foolish, soft-on-crime laws is an important step in Making DC Safe Again,” said Senator Graham. “Our work on this legislation would ensure that violent criminals are not set free early solely based on age. This reckless practice needs to end now.”
“Washington, D.C.’s soft-on-crime policies have empowered violent criminals to become repeat offenders—allowing them prematurely back onto the street simply because they are under the age of 25,” said Senator Blackburn. “Our JUSTICE in D.C. Act would help restore law and order by getting rid of two reckless D.C. laws so that criminals are not improperly and prematurely released.”
Read the full bill text HERE.
BACKGROUND
The IRAA of 2016, which was expanded by the D.C. SLAA in 2021, permits a defendant who has been convicted of committing any crime before the age of 25 to move for a sentence reduction after serving only 15 years in prison, regardless of how long their original sentence of incarceration is. It also expressly provides the factors that a judge must rely on in determining whether to release an inmate, and these factors purposely do not include the “nature of the offense.” This is not only contrary to federal sentencing law but also prevents a judge entertaining a release motion from a violent felon from being able to properly weigh the seriousness of the crime, tilting the scales toward release.
The Just Incarceration of Criminal Elements (JUSTICE) in D.C. Act would:
• Eliminates the Incarceration Reduction Act and Second Look Amendment Act, to ensure that criminals are not improperly and prematurely released solely because they happened to be under the age of 25 when they committed a crime, including robbery or murder.
• Avoids amending the standard parole and probation processes for criminals in D.C., leaving open avenues for truly rehabilitated individuals to be released from prison in the normal course.
• Changes the existing grant scheme provided in the IRAA and SLAA, which presently awards funds to released criminals, and would instead direct these funds to victims of violent crimes.
###
