HOME  » OUR RESEARCH  » Browse Research by Topic  » Washington D.C.

Promoting Prison and Juvenile Justice Reform in Washington, DC

“What's our rationale for accepting the violence of American life? We've decided it would cost too much to get the young people who commit crimes into productive lives. Here's a dramatic insight: According to the Justice Policy Institute, the number of kids sent to juvenile court each year rises and falls in lockstep with the unemployment rate for the 16-19 age group in the District….So we know what to do. But it's easier to declare an emergency and wait until other concerns take over the headlines.”  — “DC Reaction to the Killings Misses the Point,” Marc Fisher, The Washington Post, Tuesday, July 18, 2006.

If Washington, DC were a state, it would have the highest per capita incarceration rate in the country, and also, the highest per capita police force of any jurisdiction in the country. Debates on sentencing, crime, incarceration, and juvenile justice policies in D.C. make national news headlines, causing legislative ripples throughout the country.  Despite its national influence, however, D.C.’s policies and practices on prisons and incarceration are slow to improve or change, largely because of the complicated role of the federal justice system.

JPI is working to support change and reform criminal justice policies in the city where we live.  In 2006, JPI provided critical research to shift the debate away from the scapegoating  of D.C. youth, and towards more informed and effective public safety policies. JPI provides research and communications support to the Justice for DC Youth Coalition, and supplies adult sentencing reform advocates with information they need to reduce gang crime, support community-based corrections, and promote effective public safety practices.

A Capitol Concern: The disproportionate impact of the justice system on low-Income communities in D.C.
07-27-10
Author(s): Justice Policy Institute
Topic(s): Adult Corrections, Public Safety, Racial Disparity, Washington D.C.

Crime Statistics and the Washington, D.C. "Crime Emergency:" What is the Real Crisis and How Should We Respond
9/29/06
Author(s): Jason Ziedenberg
Topic(s): Public Safety, Juvenile Justice, Washington DC

You are Safer than You Think: Crime and Public Opinion on Fear of Crime
8/1/06
Author(s): Justice Policy Institute
Topic(s): Public Safety, Juvenile Justice, Washington DC

DC Crime Emergency In Context
7/1/06
Author(s): Justice Policy Institute
Topic(s): Public Safety, Juvenile Justice, Washington DC

Returning Adult Offenders in DC: A Road Map to Neighborhood Based Reentry
4/1/02
Author(s): Timothy Roche, VIncent Schiraldi, and Jason Ziedenberg, Leonard Berman
Technical Assistance Report for the DC Criminal Justice Coordinating Council (CJCC), Open Society Institute in Collaboration with the Center on Crime, Community and Culture's DC Prisoners Legal Services Project
Topic(s): Adult Corrections, Washington DC

Half-Truths:The Complicated Story of D.C.'s Halfway House "Escapees"
3/1/99
Author(s): Katherine Kravetz, Teresa Rowland, Vincent Schiraldi, Jason Ziedenberg, Eric Lotke, Marissa Ballinger
In partnership with: DC Prisoners Legal Services
Topic(s): Adult Corrections, Washington DC

Trading Classrooms for Cell Blocks: Destructive Policies Eroding D.C. Communities
2/1/97
Author(s): Tara-Jen Ambrosio and Vincent Schiraldi
Topic(s): Books vs. Bars, Washington DC

Fact Sheet: DC Crime and Arrest Statistics
8/28/2008
Author(s): Justice Policy Institute
Topics: Juvenile Justice, Washington, D.C.

Fact Sheet: Crime Statistics and the Washington, D.C. "Crime Emergency:" What is the Real Crisis and How Should We Respond
9/29/06
Author(s): Jason Ziedenberg
Topic(s): Public Safety, Juvenile Justice, Washington DC

Fact Sheet: You are Safer than You Think: Crime and Public Opinion on Fear of Crime
8/1/06
Author(s): Justice Policy Institute
Topic(s): Public Safety, Juvenile Justice, Washington DC

Fact Sheet: DC Crime Emergency In Context
7/1/06
Author(s): Justice Policy Institute
Topic(s): Public Safety, Juvenile Justice, Washington DC

DC Prisoner Legal Services

Justice for DC Youth Coalition

Georgetown University -- Juvenile Justice Clinic