D.C. Statehood Would Advance Criminal Justice Reform for All
700,000 people who live in our nation’s capital lack statehood. Their statelessness, perhaps surprisingly, holds back evidence-based criminal justice reforms across our country. I should know–I was a prosecutor in D.C.
The U.S. House of Representatives voted on April 22 to reduce the size of our nation’s capital to the key federal buildings and the land surrounding them, making the rest of D.C., which would be known as Douglass Commonwealth, the 51st state. Even though D.C. residents pay more in taxes than 22 states, have a larger population than two, and serve in the military, they face taxation without representation, with no senators or members of congress. The bill would fix that.
But D.C. statehood would also benefit the area where I have focused my career: evidence-based criminal justice reform. The purpose of our criminal legal system is to create and ensure safety. Creating safety includes seriously supporting re-entry for people returning from prison, and decreasing drug addiction by treating it as a health problem. D.C. statehood is part of accomplishing these reforms.