CCE Analysis Shows Rising Population at the D.C. Jail Since Federal Law Enforcement Surge

October 2, 2025 - According to CCE's newest analysis of D.C. Department of Corrections (DOC) population data, the jail’s weekly average daily population (ADP) rose to 2,165 by the last full week of September, representing 190 more people than were held on August 2. Women have been especially impacted, with a 25% increase in the number of females detained, with 200 or more women held in the Correctional Treatment Facility (CTF) on three days in late September.

Since late August, the surge has shifted the population increase from the Central Detention Facility (CDF) to CTF. CTF’s weekly population is now 117 people above where it was on August 2, suggesting growing pressure on a facility not originally designed to absorb that volume. During the surge, both buildings were near or surpassed recent peak population levels.

“We are concerned that there are still no concrete plans to replace the particularly outdated and dangerous Central Detention Facility.” said Misty Thomas Zaleski, executive director of CCE. “While District officials have said they are seeking private funding for a new facility, what a contract would look like and whether there would be any acceptable bidders are open questions.”

“The proposed bills in Congress now, including introducing money bail to the District and holding more people pretrial who could be safely supervised in the community, are likely to add even further to the jail population,” said Tracy Velázquez, policy director at CCE. “We continue to urge local and national policymakers to make decisions based on data, and to look to more holistic approaches to creating lasting public safety for all those who come to or live in the District.”

The available data offers only a partial picture. The Department of Corrections only publishes demographic details and information about individuals’ charges or sentence status quarterly, making it impossible to determine whether the recent population increase is driven by more admissions, longer stays, or both. It is also unclear whether the growing number of men housed at the Correctional Treatment Facility (CTF), a shift from the usual practice of housing most men at the Central Detention Facility (CDF), is due to lower-level charges, capacity constraints at CDF, or other factors. CCE plans to analyze forthcoming quarterly data to better understand these trends and their implications for jail policy and conditions.