The Past, Present, and Future of D.C.’s Criminal Law

D.C.’s criminal code has not been significantly reformed since its adoption by the federal Congress in 1901. In 2016, the D.C. City Council began the most comprehensive effort to date to bring the City’s criminal code into the 21st century when it established the Criminal Code Reform Commission. For the past six years, the Commission has endeavored to create a new criminal code for D.C. that is more in step with modern society and modern notions of what it means for a law to be fair and just. Hosts Eric Tarosky and Niranjan Seshadri, both law students at the Georgetown University Law Center, are joined by Patrice Sulton, Executive Director of DC Justice Lab and former senior attorney advisor to the Criminal Code Reform Commission, to talk about the past, present, and future of the District’s criminal law. To learn more about the Revised Criminal Code Act of 2021, visit https://revisedcode.org/.  UPDATE: On November 1, 2022, this bill unanimously passed an initial vote by the D.C. Council. In a few weeks, the council will hold a second and final vote on the bill which, if passed, will then head to Mayor Bowser's desk for her signature. Want to get ahead of the pack? Joining the D.C. Bar Law Student Community (LSC) can get you there. Your LSC membership will provide resume and skills boosting opportunities and one-on-one access to local practicing attorneys. To learn more, click here. Please note, the positions and opinions expressed by the speakers are strictly their own, and do not necessarily represent the views of their employers, nor those of the D.C. Bar, its Board of Governors or co-sponsoring Communities and organizations. Thank you to our Sponsor! The George Washington College of Professional Studies, Paralegal Studies Program: As Washington D.C.’s only academic-credit bearing paralegal studies program, the master’s degree in Paralegal Studies is more than a powerful credential: it’s a signal to the best employers that you withstood the academic rigor of one of the nation’s best paralegal programs. George Washington University’s Paralegal Studies program has met the approval of the American Bar Association for the excellence of its curriculum, faculty and administration, the only such program granted the designation in Washington, D.C. GW joins 260 programs nationally that have met the organization’s requirements. Visit https://www.cps.gwu.edu/paralegal-studies-master-professional-studies to learn more.