Trump needs key reforms to curb juvenile crime in DC, experts say

Washington, D.C.’s juvenile justice system contains structural gaps and outdated statutes that legal and policy experts say shield many violent teenagers from accountability and allow repeat offenders to cycle through the courts with minimal consequences.

From strict limits on when minors can be prosecuted as adults, to local statutes that favor leniency and a judicial appointment process some say is unconstitutional, critics argue the system is structurally tilted toward rehabilitative efforts despite frequent repeat offenders. That presents an onerous problem for President Donald Trump and his efforts to clean up crime in the nation’s Capital, after moving to take control of the D.C. police department and deploy National Guard troops to quell lawlessness that has plagued the city for years.

President Donald Trump is setting the

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