Sponsors (7)
The bill increases accountability for serious juvenile offenses by allowing 14-year-olds to be tried in adult court while trading off greater exposure of young teens to adult penalties, reduced access to rehabilitative services, higher public costs, and risks of worsening racial and disability disparities.
Victims of serious violent offenses in the District of Columbia will see offenders as young as 14 prosecuted in adult criminal court, increasing accountability and potentially improving public safety.
People accused of offenses in the District of Columbia are protected from retroactive prosecution because the change applies only to offenses committed on or after enactment, preserving defendants' due-process rights.
Children aged 14–15 will be more likely to be transferred from Family Court into adult criminal proceedings, exposing them to harsher penalties and adult correctional systems with long-term negative consequences.
Younger teens moved out of Family Court may lose access to rehabilitative, therapeutic, and other juvenile-focused services, increasing risks of recidivism and raising social-service burdens for local governments.
Greater prosecutorial discretion to transfer youths to adult court may exacerbate racial and disability disparities, disproportionately harming marginalized young people.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Lowers D.C. juvenile law age thresholds so certain 14‑year‑olds can be excluded from Family Court and transferred to criminal proceedings.
Lowers the ages in the District of Columbia juvenile code that determine when a minor can be excluded from Family Court and when a minor can be transferred into criminal court. Specifically, the bill changes several age references so that 14‑year‑olds — rather than 15‑ or 16‑year‑olds — may be subject to exclusion from Family Court jurisdiction and to transfer to criminal proceedings. The change applies to offenses committed on or after the date of enactment.
Introduced September 4, 2025 by Brandon Gill · Last progress September 17, 2025