The Ward 6 Democrats and the Hill Rag are sponsoring a panel discussion about DC justice on Wednesday, Nov. 13, at 7 p.m. at the Harold J. Gordon Building, 124 15th St., SE.
The forum will examine the issues of transparency, policing, prosecution, supervision and accountability in addressing violent crime in our community. Panel members will address how DC is working to provide a fair and balanced system of justice and what challenges there are to overcome.
The discussion comes in the wake of the Nov. 5 release of a report by the District Task Force on Jails & Justice. The report recommends that the District renovate or build facilities to support its new goals for prevention, intervention, secure detention, and reentry. The report found that 92 percent of those held in District custody in 2018 were black, a quarter of whom were held for non-criminal supervision violations.
A survey of residents conducted by the task force found that 75 percent of respondents thought incarceration was not the best way to deal with crime.
Panel members at the forum will include Ward 6 Councilmember Charles Allen (D), as well as representatives from the DC Police Department, DC Court Services and Offender Supervision Agency, the DC Office of Neighborhood Safety and Engagement, the DC Attorney General and the U.S. Attorney’s Office. Walter Smith, executive director of DC Appleseed, will moderate.
The meeting is open to the public. Audience members will be asked to pre-submit written questions.
This forum is part of an ongoing series of Ward 6 Matters quarterly community forums sponsored by Ward 6 Democrats and the Hill Rag.
