The Past, Present, and Future of D.C.’s Criminal Law

Let's Brief It

D.C.’s criminal code has not been significantly reformed since its adoption by the federal Congress in 1901. In 2016, the D.C. City Council began the most comprehensive effort to date to bring the City’s criminal code into the 21st century when it established the Criminal Code Reform Commission. For the past six years, the Commission has endeavored to create a new criminal code for D.C. that is more in step with modern society and modern notions of what it means for a law to be fair and just.

Hosts Eric Tarosky and Niranjan Seshadri, both law students at the Georgetown University Law Center, are joined by Patrice Sulton, Executive Director of DC Justice Lab and former senior attorney advisor to the Criminal Code Reform Commission, to talk about the past, present, and future of the District’s criminal law.

To learn more about the Revised Criminal Code Act of 2021, visit https://revisedcode.org/.

UPDATE: On November 1, 2022, this bill unanimously passed an initial vote by the D.C. Council. In a few weeks, the council will hold a second and final vote on the bill which, if passed, will then head to Mayor Bowser's desk for her signature.

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Please note, the positions and opinions expressed by the speakers are strictly their own, and do not necessarily represent the views of their employers, nor those of the D.C. Bar, its Board of Governors or co-sponsoring Communities and organizations.

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