A former FBI special agent has stated that Washington, D.C.’s far-left crime policies have backfired, necessitating President Donald Trump’s decision to federalize the Metropolitan Police Department.
In December 2016, the D.C. Council enacted the Comprehensive Youth Justice Amendment Act. This legislation prohibited life without parole for juveniles, eliminated mandatory minimums for juveniles tried as adults, and introduced “sentence review” for those who have served at least 20 years for crimes committed as minors, among other changes.
The act also promoted counseling for youthful offenders rather than incarceration and provided a victim-offender mediation program as an alternative to prosecution for select crimes.
In 2018, the D.C. Council revised the Youth Rehabilitation Act. The changes included raising the age classification for a “youth offender” from 22 to 24, excluding certain crimes, and allowing some individuals to petition for their convictions to be vacated. The act also gives judges greater sentencing discretion in specific cases involving defendants under 24 years old.
The Metropolitan Police Department in Washington, D.C., is accused of changing crime stats. (Getty Images)
“The situation became more dangerous due to city councils and mayors gradually undermining law enforcement,” noted Gilliam.
In some cases, after the Comprehensive Youth Justice Amendment Act became law in Washington, D.C., some criminal sentences have raised eyebrows.
On March 8, 19-year-old Javarry Peaks shot a stranger on a Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority bus, as reported by the Department of Justice. According to prosecutors, Peaks boarded the bus at 9:30 p.m. and engaged someone in conversation. The victim was shot in the chest after attempting to push Peaks off the bus.
Under the Youth Rehabilitation Act, D.C. Superior Court Judge Rainey Brandt suspended Peaks’ four-year prison sentence followed by three years of supervised release, and only gave Peaks probation, according to WUSA9.
U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro wasn’t pleased with the judge’s decision.
FBI and Border Patrol officers arrest a man after he allegedly assaulted law enforcement with a sandwich, along the U Street corridor during a federal law enforcement deployment to the nation’s capital on Aug. 10, 2025 in Washington, D.C. U.S. President Donald Trump ordered an increased presence of federal law enforcement in the city in an effort to curb crime. (Andrew Leyden/Getty Images)
“This violent teen boarded public transportation with an illegal firearm and shot the victim in the chest,” Pirro said. “His actions are reprehensible and dangerous, and it is only by the grace of God that the victim did not die and that others were not harmed that day.”
“D.C. will not be safe until judges hold violent offenders accountable by putting them in jail. To make D.C. safe again, there must be serious consequences for these heinous crimes,” she added.
Mayor Muriel Bowser declined to comment. Fox News Digital reached out to the D.C. Council.
