releases: https://www.blackburn.senate.gov/2025/9/crime/blackburn-senate-gop-colleagues-introduce-bill-to-eliminate-d-c-soft-on-crime-laws
Data license: MIT · Data source: dwillis/congress-press
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| https://www.blackburn.senate.gov/2025/9/crime/blackburn-senate-gop-colleagues-introduce-bill-to-eliminate-d-c-soft-on-crime-laws | Blackburn, Senate GOP Colleagues Introduce Bill to Eliminate D.C. Soft-On-Crime Laws | 2025-09-16 | 2025 | 2025-09 | Republican | Senate | TN | Marsha Blackburn | B001243 | www.blackburn.senate.gov | blackburn | https://www.blackburn.senate.gov/news/cc8c80c1-d564-4bbb-93a4-f1d772346ae0 | scraper | WASHINGTON– U.S. Senators Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), John Cornyn (R-Texas), Ted Budd (R-N.C.), Lindsey Graham(R-S.C.) today introduced theJust Incarceration of Criminal Elements (JUSTICE) in D.C. Act, which would eliminate two Washington, D.C. laws – theIncarceration Reduction Actand theSecond Look Amendment Act– that have allowed criminals to be improperly and prematurely released solely because they were under the age of 25 when they committed a crime, including murder, regardless of the severity of the crime or the length of their initial sentence: “Washington, D.C.’s soft-on-crime policies have empowered violent criminals to become repeat offenders—allowing them prematurely back onto the street simply because they are under the age of 25,”said Sen. Blackburn. “Our JUSTICE in D.C. Act would help restore law and order by getting rid of two reckless D.C. laws so that criminals are not improperly and prematurely released.” “TheIncarceration Reduction Act andSecond Look Amendment Act exemplify the mindless policies of D.C.’s progressive city council that have incentivized crime in our nation’s capital for far too long,”said Sen. Cornyn. “TheJUSTICE in D.C. Actputs common sense back at the forefront of D.C.’s justice system by ensuring no offender receives a shortened sentence just because they committed a crime – including murder – before the age of 25. U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro has called for these ridiculous laws to be eliminated, and I couldn’t agree more.” “Our country has endured far too many horrific acts of violence because of weak sentencing and the premature release of dangerous criminals in Democrat-run cities like Washington, D.C.,”said Sen. Budd.“My home state of North Carolina has suffered as well—just last month, a young Ukrainian refugee in Charlotte was brutally murdered by a repeat offender with fourteen prior arrests. These ‘criminal reform’ experiments have delivered neither safety, justice, nor rehabilitation. It is long past time to put a stop to them. I am proud to stand with Senator Cornyn in creating strict standards to prevent judges from releasing violent offenders onto the streets of D.C.” “Repealing these foolish, soft-on-crime laws is an important step in Making DC Safe Again,”said Sen. Graham.“Our work on this legislation would ensure that violent criminals are not set free early solely based on age. This reckless practice needs to end now.” BACKGROUND TheDistrict of Columbia Incarceration Reduction Amendment Act (IRAA) of 2016, which was expanded by the D.C.Second Look Amendment Act (SLAA) in 2021, permits a defendant who has been convicted of committing any crime before the age of 25 to move for a sentence reduction after serving only 15 years in prison, regardless of how long their original sentence of incarceration is. It also expressly provides the factors that a judge must rely on in determining whether to release an inmate, and these factors purposely do not include the “nature of the offense.” This is not only contrary to federal sentencing law, but prevents a judge entertaining a release motion from a violent felon from being able to properly weigh the seriousness of the crime, tilting the scales toward release. | 1 | 2026-03-30T01:40:41Z | 2026-04-06T19:10:29Z |