Reply to DC Council Overrides Bowser Veto of Revised Criminal Code

Forum Index » Metropolitan DC Local Politics

Reply to "DC Council Overrides Bowser Veto of Revised Criminal Code"

Subject:

Emoticons





More smilies

Text Color: Font: Close Marks

[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Carjacking has already been effectively decriminalized in DC so I don’t see how this law makes a difference.  Might as well just make it a civil penalty at this point, like a parking ticket.[/quote]
In the first 19 days of 2023, there has been 21 carjackings with 2/3 involving guns. There has been only one arrest who was a juvenile offender and contrary to public perception, a DC resident.
https://mpdc.dc.gov/page/carjacking[/quote]
There have been over 500 carjackings from January 1, 2022 to present. The most common place that carjackings occur is in 6th District (Wards 7/8), followed by the 1st District (Ward 6). The most common age of a carjacking arrestee is 16 years old.[/quote]

Do they actually know what the common thread to these carjackings is?  Are there crime rings recruiting kids to bring them cars to sell or chop?  If so then why aren't we hearing about MPD going after the crime rings, to eliminate the demand?  Or is it criminal crews stealing cars to use in driveby shootings or other crimes?  If so then why aren't we hearing about a crackdown on criminal gangs?  Is it bored kids doing carjackings for joyrides?  If so then why aren't we hearing about MPD going around to schools to talk to kids about it?  And, why aren't we hearing about MPD using their license plate scanners and cameras to help locate stolen cars - or any other vehicular enforcement, for that matter?[/quote]

The common thread is there are no consequences for juvenile crime, and everyone - the juveniles, police, OAG, judges, and Council know it. The system is working precisely as designed and intended.

Police chasing stolen vehicles? Doing stops? Going into schools?

Tell me you’re not from here without telling me you’re not from here.[/quote]

+1.  The highest priority of DC government is reducing incarceration and not harming the life prospects of youth offenders.  Public safety and the harms done to crime victims is a much lower priority to the extent it is even a concern at all.  Not going to change anytime soon if ever.[/quote]

It would make a lot more sense to put that investment into stopping these kids long before they head down the path of becoming youth offenders.  But DCPS is a complete mess and the millions spent on services seem to be missing the mark, likely more of a jobs program than something to actually help at-risk kids.[/quote]
I can understand trying to give kids chances and presume that the main goal is to keep them away from prison, because that is where kids that are just somewhat astray learn to be hardened criminals. But letting them wantonly commit crimes without consequences doesn’t seem to be a good way of helping them to succeed in life. How many people go from carjacking with a gun at 16 to a BA with strong career prospects at 22? Not to mention how impossible it is to accomplish that being saddled with a DCPS education and access to community college an hour or more away in upper NW on a journey that will require a bus and then two Metro lines? Not to get side-tracked, but one really dumb thing DC did was not take St. Elizabeth’s for the UDC campus when it was offered to them. What is needed is early and strong intervention in these kids lives, not arrest, release and drop charges. This may be politically incorrect, but a lot of the problems start with learned behavior at home and I would like DC to experiment with creating a state-funded boarding school. Take all of the high academic achievers at 7th grade with the best prospects, get them out of this environment and help them learn new behaviors, communication and emotional skills to succeed, as well as providing a strong education. It certainly couldn’t cost appreciably more than what they are currently spending per pupil for such awful results.[/quote]

Yep and by the time a 16 year old is casually doing carjackings at gunpoint it's not his first rodeo, that kid has likely already committed quite a few crimes prior.[/quote]

Options

	Disable HTML in this message
	Disable BB Code in this message
	Disable smilies in this message

Review message

Search Recent Topics Hottest Topics