Criminal Code Reform Commission reports national sentencing analysis, recommends updates including AI 'deepfake' offense

The Criminal Code Reform Commission told the Council’s Committee on Judiciary and Public Safety on Feb. 3 that it completed two large research projects comparing District sentencing practices to national norms and that it is advancing targeted code revisions, including a proposed offense addressing nonconsensual sexually explicit imagery created with artificial intelligence.

Director Park, the commission’s executive director, briefed the committee on the agency’s recent work and submitted written materials and its FY24 annual report for the record. Park told the committee the agency’s work falls into three categories: research and data analysis to respond to critiques of the earlier comprehensive draft code (the RCCA), continuing drafting and recommendations for code revisions, and testimony and feedback on pending Council legislation.

Why it matters: The commission said its surveys and time‑served analysis show that the statutory maximums proposed in the earlier RCCA were largely consistent with national practice and that more accurate national comparisons can help anchor local sentencing policy decisions.

Park described two major research efforts. First, the commission completed a nationwide survey of statutory maximum penalties for selected serious offenses —…