CCE Launches District Task Force on Jails & Justice

For Immediate Release

Press Contact: Casey Anderson

CCE Launches District Task Force on Jails & Justice

May 6, 2019, Washington, D.C. – The District of Columbia’s Central Detention Facility, does not meet the District’s needs in 2019. Residents, advocates, and government leaders alike agree that the status quo isn’t working. Determining exactly what change can and should look like is a big job: that is why the District Task Force on Jails & Justice (“Task Force”) was established, funded by a grant from the Office of Victim Services and Justice Grants.  

On April 15, 2019, the Council for Court Excellence , in partnership with the Vera Institute of Justice and the National Reentry Network for Returning Citizens , hosted the first meeting of the 28-member Task Force at Sidley Austin LLP.  The Task Force, chaired by Katherine S. Broderick, Dean Emerita and Joseph L. Rauh, Jr., Chair of Social Justice, David A. Clarke School of Law , will combine comprehensive analysis of local incarceration trends, with research into best practices from other jurisdictions and information gleaned from deep community engagement across the District to shape a shared vision for the future of the District’s jails and justice system. “The Task Force is committed to developing concrete recommendations for a new system that will ensure safety, fairness and good health while working constructively to stop cycles of crime and incarceration,” said Professor Broderick.  

The Task Force will conduct its work in two phases. In 2019, Phase I will include several layers of community engagement. People directly impacted by corrections – including incarcerated people, returning citizens, their families and friends, jail staff, neighbors of the jail, and other concerned residents – will share their experiences and make recommendations for the future. D.C. residents may share their feedback and priorities at in-person events and forums, through an online survey, and by sending letters directly to the Task Force. The Task Force will also hold meetings at which members and advisors will share expertise, deliberate, and set priorities.

At the end of Phase I, the Task Force will produce its initial “Blueprint,” laying out both priorities and the vital elements of a comprehensive new correctional plan. In Phase II, during late 2019 and into 2020, the Task Force will dive into the priorities identified in the Blueprint, continuing to engage District residents and relevant experts, seek consensus, and ultimately develop a detailed plan for the District as it begins to fund and build a new facility and to institute critical changes to its justice system.

Updates about the Task Force and its work will be published on our website at www.courtexcellence.org/task-force and shared on Twitter at @DCjails_justice .

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