Crime: “We cannot arrest and prosecute our way out of it.”

[Anonymous]

DC’s attorney general, Brian Schwalb, recently made this statement in response to the DC carjacking / crime spike during a community forum.

Some on DCUM feel Council-member Charles Allen has been unfairly scape-goated over crime in DC, and they - rightly - bring up Brian Schwalb as someone who (if we are to blame city leaders) is just as much or more at fault. Setting aside Allen for the moment,

- Is our attorney general right? Is it impossible to deter or ameliorate crime by arresting and prosecuting criminals ? Agree or disagree?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:DC’s attorney general, Brian Schwalb, recently made this statement in response to the DC carjacking / crime spike during a community forum.

Some on DCUM feel Council-member Charles Allen has been unfairly scape-goated over crime in DC, and they - rightly - bring up Brian Schwalb as someone who (if we are to blame city leaders) is just as much or more at fault. Setting aside Allen for the moment,

- Is our attorney general right? Is it impossible to deter or ameliorate crime by arresting and prosecuting criminals ? Agree or disagree?

Disagree. It’s completely possible. Ask anyone who grew up in or around NYC in the late 1980’s. NYC was a total sewer. Really not that far off from the movie Warriors. Giuliani (before he went insane) was elected in 1994 and cleaned up the city. It was an amazing renaissance. NYC was amazing in the late 1990s.

[Anonymous]

Clearly can arrest and prosecute the problem away. Vast majority of criminals have long arrest records because of the current catch and release crime policies.

Sorry but some people need to be keep seperate from society. Prisons provide jobs for communities and if we need to build more so be it.

[Anonymous]

If he means that cracking down, papering every arrest, and locking people up in large numbers will not decrease crime in DC, then he is clearly incorrect. If he means that the political will is lacking in DC to do any of those things, then he is correct.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If he means that cracking down, papering every arrest, and locking people up in large numbers will not decrease crime in DC, then he is clearly incorrect. If he means that the political will is lacking in DC to do any of those things, then he is correct.

He has also said, "Kids are kids!" so lacks the will to do so himself. This is a huge problem resulting in a lot more shot and dead kids. They need boundaries, consequences and to be gotten on a different life track. THe is "loving" far too many of these kids to an early grave, continuing the work of Racine, who handpicked his former Venable colleague, Schwab.

[Anonymous]

Yes you can, look at El Salvador after their mass incarceration campaign to break the back of gangs. Their country has improved dramatically:




When you lockup criminals, crime goes down. Really common sense logic.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yes you can, look at El Salvador after their mass incarceration campaign to break the back of gangs. Their country has improved dramatically:




When you lockup criminals, crime goes down. Really common sense logic.

No due process and many innocent people swept up in and jailed. I don’t think this is the model we want to follow.

[Anonymous]

We need point-of-use gun control. People with illegal guns in DC must fear leaving their house with them knowing that getting caught means jail.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes you can, look at El Salvador after their mass incarceration campaign to break the back of gangs. Their country has improved dramatically:




When you lockup criminals, crime goes down. Really common sense logic.

No due process and many innocent people swept up in and jailed. I don’t think this is the model we want to follow.

Maybe not exactly but it’s obviously wrong and concerning for the city’s top law enforcement official to so severely misunderstand basic principles of criminal justice. Eg, failing to arrest and prosecute actually DOES lead ton increases in crime.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We need point-of-use gun control. People with illegal guns in DC must fear leaving their house with them knowing that getting caught means jail.

+1000.

[Anonymous]

You absolutely can arrest and prosecute your way out of it. But that takes serious resources that the citizens of DC may be unwilling to pay for. And you pay a price for it with problematic cultural ramifications.

I do think requiring some accountability of the DC USAO needs to happen now; more could be done with the resources we have. I know a DC crim AUSA who is WFH most of the time and does virtually no work. That should not be acceptable.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes you can, look at El Salvador after their mass incarceration campaign to break the back of gangs. Their country has improved dramatically:




When you lockup criminals, crime goes down. Really common sense logic.

No due process and many innocent people swept up in and jailed. I don’t think this is the model we want to follow.

Those are impressive numbers. Why do you say no due process? The citizens of El Salvador are so happy with their new president and other Latin American countries are looking to El Salvador for a model on how to handle their crime problem.

[Anonymous]

Bullsh!t. They 'no paper' way too much!

I have friends and family who have been the victims of violent crimes in DC where the perpetrators were caught and then no papered.

How can you catch the carjacker wearing the exact outfit (down to the shoes) that the victim described IN the stolen car and then no paper for a lack of evidence? Bffr.

Keep up not prosecuting and watch more and more business HQs leave the city.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes you can, look at El Salvador after their mass incarceration campaign to break the back of gangs. Their country has improved dramatically:




When you lockup criminals, crime goes down. Really common sense logic.

No due process and many innocent people swept up in and jailed. I don’t think this is the model we want to follow.

To make an omelette you have to crack eggs, I am ok with this , DC has more bad than good

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If he means that cracking down, papering every arrest, and locking people up in large numbers will not decrease crime in DC, then he is clearly incorrect. If he means that the political will is lacking in DC to do any of those things, then he is correct.

This ^^.