{"data":{"id":"us-dc/d.c.-code-3-152","jurisdiction":"us-dc","citation":"D.C. Code § 3-152","heading":"Duties of the Criminal Code Reform Commission.","body":"(a)\nBy March 31, 2021, the Commission shall submit to the Mayor and the Council comprehensive criminal code reform recommendations that revise the language of the District's criminal statutes to:\n(1)\nUse clear and plain language;\n(2)\nApply consistent, clearly articulated definitions;\n(3)\nDescribe all elements, including mental states, that must be proven;\n(4)\nReduce unnecessary overlap and gaps between criminal offenses;\n(5)\nEliminate archaic and unused offenses;\n(6)\nAdjust penalties, fines, and the gradation of offenses to provide for proportionate penalties;\n(7)\nOrganize existing criminal statutes in a logical order;\n(8)\nIdentify any crimes defined in common law that should be codified, and propose recommended language for codification, as appropriate;\n(9)\nIdentify criminal statutes that have been held to be unconstitutional and recommend their removal or amendment;\n(10)\nPropose such other amendments as the Commission believes are necessary; and\n(11)\nEnable the adoption of Title 22 as an enacted title of the District of Columbia Official Code.\n\n(b)\nThe comprehensive criminal code reform recommendations required by subsection (a) of this section shall be in the form of a report that:\n(1)\nIncludes draft legislation or other specific steps for implementing the recommendations;\n(2)\nIncludes charging, sentencing, and other relevant statistics regarding the offenses affected by the recommendations; and\n(3)\nExplains how and why the recommendations change existing District law.\n\n(c)\nIn preparing the comprehensive criminal code reform recommendations required by subsection (a) of this section, the Commission shall:\n(1)\nConsult with the Code Revision Advisory Group established pursuant to § 3-153; and\n(2)\nReview criminal code reforms in other jurisdictions, recommend changes to criminal offenses by the American Law Institute, and survey best practices recommended by criminal law experts.\n\n(d)\nThe Commission shall provide, upon request by the Council, or may provide on its own initiative, a legal or policy analysis of proposed legislation or best practices concerning criminal offenses, procedures, or reforms, including information on existing District law, the laws of other jurisdictions, and model legislation.\n\n(e)\nThe Commission may consult with other District of Columbia, federal, and state agencies, conduct community outreach, perform trainings, and engage in other activities to advance the Commission's statutory duties.\n\n(f)\n(1)\nThe Commission may request access to all books, accounts, records, reports, findings, and all other papers, things, or property belonging to or in use by any department, agency, or other instrumentality of the District government that are necessary to fulfill its statutory duties.\n(2)\nUpon such a request from the Commission, any department, agency, or other instrumentality of the District government shall provide the requested information to the Commission to the extent permitted by law.","path":["Title 3. District of Columbia Boards and Commissions.","Chapter 1A. Criminal Code Reform Commission."],"source_url":"https://code.dccouncil.gov/us/dc/council/code/sections/3-152","current_through":"2026-08-20 (D.C. Law 26-175)","vintage":"","retrieved_at":"2026-08-29T05:44:07Z","sha256":"56b3b64cddca094d99d495a5fb853cf0ebef4f73ca6032ae1d8a5e7b962fbb9b","source_id":"us-dc","stale":false,"prev":"us-dc/d.c.-code-3-151","next":"us-dc/d.c.-code-3-153"},"notice":"GroundRules: Original legal text. Not legal advice."}