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Pretrial-detention debate splits prosecutors, executive and defenders as Council weighs making Secure DC changes permanent
Summary
The Committee on Judiciary and Public Safety heard extended testimony and questioning on the Pretrial Detention Amendment Act of 2025 (B26-188), which would make permanent provisions enacted under recent "Secure DC" emergency legislation that expand the categories of violent offenses subject to a rebuttable presumption of pretrial detention and require written judicial findings in some cases.
The Committee on Judiciary and Public Safety heard extended testimony and questioning on the Pretrial Detention Amendment Act of 2025 (B26-188), which would make permanent provisions enacted under recent "Secure DC" emergency legislation that expand the categories of violent offenses subject to a rebuttable presumption of pretrial detention and require written judicial findings in some cases.
Deputy Mayor Lindsay Appiah urged the committee to keep the Secure DC changes in place, saying the measures are one among several tools that helped drive a 27% year-over-year decline in violent crime so far in 2025. Appiah said judges maintain discretion under the law but that the rebuttable-presumption changes give courts clearer statutory authority to hold defendants charged with…
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