The Council for Court Excellence held a panel discussion today on the impact of a law that overhauled the District of Columbia’s criminal justice system. The panel felt the law had benefited the city, but needed a new rehabilitation component for released convicts.
The event, attended by about 150 people, marked the 10-year anniversary of the National Capital Revitalization and Self-Government Improvement Act of 1997. A law that set out to rejuvenate the D.C. economy by significantly reducing the city government of financial and administrative responsibilities.
Under the legislation, the D.C. government transferred control over prisons, courts and parole supervision to the federal government, alleviating the city of around $200 million.
Sitting on the panel, were six people whose occupations are fundamentally shaped by the law: Avis Buchanan, director of the Public Defender Service; Phil Fornaci, executive director of the D.C. Prisoners’ Project of the Washington Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights & Urban Affairs; Isaac Fulwood, commissioner of the U.S. Parole Commission; Harley Lappin, director of the Federal Bureau of Prisons; Paul Quander, director of the Court Services and Offender Supervision Agency; and D.C. Superior Court Judge Frederick Weisberg.
Eric Holder, Jr., a partner at Covington & Burling and deputy attorney general at the time the Revitalization Act was implemented, moderated the discussion, which covered everything from sentencing guidelines to parole procedures.
Panelists had varying views on the topics, but seemed to coalesce around the fact that convicts need more rehabilitation outlets when released.
“Neighborhoods just aren’t the same five years after someone is released,” Fulwood said, disclosing his brother was killed in D.C., an event that resulted from a drug addiction. “The wrecking ball and police man might make it safe, but it doesn’t provide treatment.”
Other panelists underscored Fulwood’s point by calling for more drug and mental health facilities, but advocated different solutions. Lappin called for more collaboration from the community, while Fornaci wanted to reconsider existing policies.
“As a people, we might not want to say, if (parolees) violate the drug policy they’re going back to prison,” he said.
Other topics included: establishing federal prisons closer to the D.C.-area; creating public transportation to get to the prisons; and the loss of D.C. residents’ voice when it comes to changing justice system policies.
Comments