CCE Releases "Is D.C. More Secure? A Criminal Legal System Overview"

Today CCE released Is D.C. More Secure? A Criminal Legal System Overview, which provides up-to-date data on many key aspects of D.C.’s criminal legal system. The report focuses on parts of the legal system that may be impacted in the months and years ahead by provisions of the SECURE D.C. legislation passed in early 2024.

CCE’s newest publication emphasizes data visualizations that help tell the story of significant legal system trends, providing insights into such areas as policing and arrests, crime, incarceration, youth justice, and prosecution. This is the fourth in a series of legal system landscapes that CCE has published with support from Public Welfare Foundation. Past editions can be found here.

Notable data points in this year’s publication include:  

• In 2023, costs of D.C. policing and incarceration exceeded $1 billion dollars for the first time.

• Approximately 20,000 people in D.C. are under correctional control at any given time, with about 1 in 15 Black adults in D.C. being incarcerated or on community supervision such as probation or parole.

• Some of D.C.’s Wards are more heavily impacted by violence and policing, including a concentration of temporary “Drug Free Zones” that were enacted as part of the Secure D.C. legislation.

• The population of the D.C. jail has grown substantially. While Secure D.C. sought to reduce the use of pre-trial release, data showed that 99% of those released pretrial who had been accused of violent crimes remained arrest-free throughout their pretrial release period.

• While concerns about crime and fare evasion on Metro led to specific provisions in Secure D.C., CCE research showed that there was no statistically significant relationship between serious crime and fare evasion on Metro; most fare evasion occurred on buses, which are predominantly used by people of color and D.C. residents with lower incomes.

“This report offers an accessible and engaging update on the District’s criminal legal system,” noted lawyer Morgan Grizzle, one of the report’s authors and Open Horizon Criminal Justice Fellow at CCE. “Importantly, it lays the groundwork to measure SECURE DC’s impact. Policymakers, the media, advocates, and D.C. residents can use the information presented to support making D.C. a safer and healthier place — especially for those disproportionately affected by the criminal legal system, including lower income and Black communities.”

For media inquiries, please contact Policy Director Tracy Velázquez, 406.539.9715 (cell).

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Want to learn more?

Watch CCE's informational webinar where report authors discuss key findings from the report and answer questions from the audience.