Keep Offenders Off Our Streets Act.
The Keep Offenders Off Our Streets Act would change how people charged with offenses in the District of Columbia are released pending trial. It would prohibit the DC Council or the Mayor from allowing release without the charged individual executing a secured appearance bond backed by solvent sureties, in whatever amount is reasonably necessary to assure they appear as required. In effect, the bill repeals the current practice of release on personal recognizance (or similar less-secure releases) and requires a bail bond mechanism for pretrial release. The bill also adds this new standard to the District of Columbia Home Rule Act, making clear that DC cannot enact or enforce any rule allowing release without such a bond. It applies to anyone who appears before a DC judicial officer before, on, or after the act’s enactment and includes a severability clause.
Key Points
- 1Prohibition on release pending trial without a secured appearance bond: In DC, a charged individual must execute a bail bond with solvent sureties in a required amount to guarantee appearance.
- 2Repeal and rewrite of current recognizance framework: The bill essentially replaces existing arrangements that permit release on personal recognizance with a system based on secured bonds.
- 3Amendments to the DC Home Rule Act: The bill adds a new prohibition to the Home Rule Act, ensuring DC cannot permit release without a secured bond.
- 4Applicability and severability: The provisions apply to individuals charged in DC who appear before a judicial officer on/after enactment, and the bill includes a severability clause.
- 5Federal preemption of local rules: The measure asserts that DC cannot enact or enforce any contrary local rule, effectively imposing a federal standard for pretrial release in DC.