S 2815119th CongressIntroduced

JUSTICE in D.C. Act

Introduced: Sep 16, 2025

Civil Rights & Justice

Standard Summary

Comprehensive overview in 1-2 paragraphs

This bill, titled the JUSTICE in D.C. Act, would repeal two District of Columbia-era criminal justice reform laws: the District of Columbia Incarceration Reduction Amendment Act and the Second Look Amendment Act. In their place, the bill creates a new grants program dedicated to supporting victims of violent crime. Beginning in fiscal year 2026, the Office of Victim Services and Justice Grants would issue annual grants—each limited to no more than $200,000 per grant per year—to organizations that provide services to survivors of violent crimes, including advocacy, mental health support, and employment services. The aim is to bolster support for victims rather than focus on incarceration reductions within D.C., though the bill itself only specifies the grant program and the repeal of the two prior acts.

Key Points

1Repeals: The act would repeal the District of Columbia Incarceration Reduction Amendment Act and the Second Look Amendment Act.
2New grant program: Establishes a grants program to support survivors of violent crime.
3Funding cap: Each grant awarded under the new program would be limited to $200,000 per year.
4Start date: The grant program begins in fiscal year 2026.
5Administrating body and purpose: Grants would be issued by the Office of Victim Services and Justice Grants to organizations that provide services to survivors (advocacy, mental health, and employment services).

Impact Areas

Primary group/area affected: Survivors of violent crime in the District of Columbia, who would potentially receive enhanced services (advocacy, mental health support, employment assistance) through funded organizations.Secondary group/area affected: Nonprofit and community organizations that provide victim-services in DC; these groups would be eligible to apply for grants.Additional impacts: The bill would shift federal or cross-jurisdictional funding toward victim-services programming in place of the prior DC incarceration-reduction reforms. It implies new administrative requirements for the grant program and would depend on future appropriations to fund the $200,000-per-grant cap. The overall effect on DC criminal justice policy would be a pivot toward victim-support funding rather than continued reform measures related to incarceration or “second-look” processes.

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