Background on Prosecutions

The Office of the Attorney General (OAG) is committed to using every legal tool available to reduce violent crime across the District. Effective prosecution plays a critical role in driving down crime and making our communities safer. In the District of Columbia, OAG is responsible for prosecuting crimes committed by juveniles, as well as some adult misdemeanors. Adult felonies, which make up the vast majority of violent offenses, are prosecuted by the federally-appointed US Attorney for the District of Columbia (USAO DC). 

Young people must face consequences when they break the law, and OAG prosecutes every serious violent offense when we have enough evidence to do so. Successfully bringing a case to trial requires a significantly higher evidentiary standard (“proof beyond a reasonable doubt”) than making an arrest (“reasonable suspicion”). As a result, not all arrests lead to prosecutions. After juveniles are arrested, OAG works with our partners at the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) to find cooperating witnesses, DNA evidence, video surveillance footage, and other evidence to prosecute cases as consistently as possible. 

OAG's efforts, in partnership with MPD and all District and federal public safety agencies, contributed to a 35% decrease in violent crime and a 15% decrease in crime overall in 2024 following an unacceptable spike in 2023. Overall, violent crime in DC has been trending downward for decades and reached a 30-year low last year.
 

Prosecuting Juvenile Crime in 2024

In 2024, OAG prosecuted 84.3% of violent juvenile offenses.

For the most serious juvenile offenses, OAG’s prosecution rates per arrest were: 

  • Over 90% of homicide and attempted homicide cases
  • 87.1% of carjacking cases 
  • 85.7% of gun possession cases 
  • 78.9% of robbery cases
  • 88.1% of violent assault cases

In 2024, OAG prosecuted the highest percentage of cases for both violent juvenile offenses and all juvenile offenses since before 2019.
 

OAG Juvenile Prosecution Statistics for 2019-2024 

OAG Prosecution Data 2019-2024
* To comply with juvenile confidentiality requirements set by the Secure DC Omnibus Amendment Act of 2024, results of 0-9 matters are listed as <10.
** Includes requests for pre-petition custody orders that result in arrest and probable cause arrests in delinquency matters with a final papering decision. Excludes fugitive matters, matters in which USAO exercised jurisdiction under D.C. 16-2301(3), and delinquency matters without a final papering decision.
*** There were a total of 43 homicide matters from 2019-2024.
**** In order to provide the carjacking matter total in 2019 (the second lowest subcategory in 2019 crimes of violence), the Other Offenses matter total is instead redacted (the third lowest subcategory in 2019 crimes of violence).


Prosecutions as Part of a Comprehensive Public Safety Strategy

OAG uses every legal tool available to drive down crime. Effective prosecution and policing are critical parts of a comprehensive public safety strategy. To make DC safer in the long term, we must also take proactive measures to stop crimes from happening in the first place. 

In addition to holding youth accountable when they break the law, OAG works closely with DC agencies to ensure youth receive effective intervention to prevent them from reoffending. In 2024, we worked with the DC Council to pass the ROAD Act to lower recidivism in the District’s juvenile justice system. 

OAG also:  

  • Partners with the Alcoholic Beverage and Cannabis Administration (ABCA) and MPD to shut down illegal cannabis shops operating in DC — closing 18 illegal shops in 2024 alone.
     
  • Seeks Extreme Risk Protection Orders (ERPOs) to remove firearms and ammunition from those who pose a danger to themselves or others.
     
  • Addresses criminal activity at properties with a pattern of illegal drug, firearm, or prostitution activities by enforcing the Nuisance Abatement Act.
     
  • Oversees Cure the Streets, a community violence interruption program with a strong track record of reducing gun violence across its ten focus areas.
     
  • Runs ATTEND, a program that is helping ensure kids show up to school consistently by working with families at 11 schools to improve their children’s school attendance.
     
  • Holds dangerous drivers accountable by prosecuting the overwhelming majority of DUIs (97%) and reckless and aggravated reckless driving cases (96%). 
     
  • Funds Leaders of Tomorrow, a $1.5 million public-private violent prevention grant program that supports high-impact local nonprofits that provide mentorship, academic support, health services, and employment opportunities for DC youth and families.
     
  • Addresses the underlying drivers of crime — poverty, housing instability, and pollution — by using our civil authority to protect DC residents’ pocketbooks, defend the rights of workers, combat financial exploitation, provide safe and affordable housing, and protect our environment.