D.C. Code § 4-119: Commitment of children under 17 years of age.

No court shall commit a child under 17 years of age, charged with or convicted of a petty crime or misdemeanor punishable by a fine or imprisonment, to a jail, workhouse, or police station, but if such child be unable to give bail or pay a fine, it may be committed to the Board of Public Welfare temporarily or permanently, in the discretion of the court, and said Board shall make some suitable provision for said child outside the inclosure of any jail, workhouse, or police station, or said court may commit such child to the National Training School under the laws now providing for such commitment.