Judiciary Committee Chairman Allen’s Landmark Bills are Critical Steps Toward Equity and Justice
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Attorney General Karl A. Racine today applauds the Council’s passage of several important pieces of criminal justice reform and civil rights legislation, including the Omnibus Public Safety and Justice Amendment Act of 2020 and the Bella Evangelista and Tony Hunter Panic Defense Prohibition and Hate Crimes Response Amendment Act of 2020. The Omnibus Public Safety and Justice Amendment Act is a package of justice reforms. It contains the Comprehensive Youth Justice Amendment, which allows judges to review the sentences of people who committed crimes before the age of 25 and have already served at least 15 years in prison. Judges can reduce a long sentence if they find that an individual is no longer a danger to the community. The Bella Evangelista and Tony Hunter Panic Defense Prohibition and Hate Crimes Response Amendment Act reforms the District’s hate crime