Digital Library
On July 13, 2023, CCE's Policy & Communications Manager Casey Anderson testified in support of the Food Regulation Ensures Safety and Hospitality Specialty Training Aids Re-entry Transition and Success (FRESH STARTS) Act of 2023.
On November 21 2022, CCE, with pro bono support from Wiley Rein, published a white paper on compassionate release in the District. The white paper analyzes Freedom of Information Act request data received from the Federal Bureau of Prisons regarding people convicted of D.C. Code offenses in their custody.
In its Fiscal Year 2023 budget, the District of Columbia dedicated funds to begin the planning and design phase for a new annex to the Correctional Treatment Facility (CTF). In response, CCE and several partners facilitated a series of community conversations during 2022 to collect D.C. residents’ feedback on the features of a new facility that would re-envision the purpose, approach, space, facilities, services, staffing, and use of a jail.This effort heard from roughly 200 D.C. residents, including those most directly impacted.
On May 27, 2022, CCE published D.C.'s Justice Systems Overview 2021. The report was published with support from Public Welfare Foundation.
On February 9, 2022, the Council for Court Excellence (CCE) and the D.C. Access to Justice Commission (ATJC) published Strengthening Probate Administration in the District of Columbia. In January 2020, CCE and ATJC formed an expert Working Group to address the challenges faced by self-represented individuals during probate. The Working Group ultimately developed recommendations in 20 areas to strengthen probate processes for everyone and increase access to justice for low- and moderate-income people.
On September 15, 2021 the Council for Court Excellence (CCE) and the Office of the District of Columbia Auditor (ODCA) hosted a forum "Confusion and Exclusion: Impacts of the Hazy State of D.C. Marijuana Legalization on People with Criminal Records", which focused on the current state-of-play for D.C.'s marijuana legislation, how it impacts justice-involved residents, and reforms the District should enact in the future. This was the final forum in a four-part series hosted by ODCA and CCE in 2021 focused on urgent criminal justice topics in the District. Each public forum featured experts, significant local stakeholders, and impacted people coming together to address an emerging topic of criminal law or policy that is ripe for change in Washington, D.C. This report frames the issue, provides an edited transcript of the forum discussion, and includes a bibliography of relevant resources.
On July 29, 2021 the Council for Court Excellence (CCE) and the Office of the District of Columbia Auditor (ODCA) hosted a forum "Our Children in Crisis: A Focus on D.C.'s Crossover Youth", which focused on D.C. children who are impacted by both the juvenile justice system and foster care system. This forum was the third in a four-part series hosted by ODCA and CCE in 2021 focused on urgent criminal justice topics in the District. Each public forum featured experts, significant local stakeholders, and impacted people coming together to address an emerging topic of criminal law or policy that is ripe for change in Washington, D.C. This report frames the issue, provides an edited transcript of the forum discussion, and includes a bibliography of relevant resources.
On June 30, 2021 the Council for Court Excellence (CCE) and the Office of the District of Columbia Auditor (ODCA) hosted a forum "What if We Were in Charge? Imagining a Future Without a Federalized Justice System in D.C.", which focused on the District's bifuricated justice system, the impacts of local vs. federal control, and the steps D.C. can, and should, take to enact reforms now. This forum was the second in a four-part series hosted by ODCA and CCE in 2021 focused on urgent criminal justice topics in the District. Each public forum featured experts, significant local stakeholders, and impacted people coming together to address an emerging topic of criminal law or policy that is ripe for change in Washington, D.C. This report frames the issue, provides an edited transcript of the forum discussion, and includes a bibliography of relevant resources.
On July 29, 2021, CCE submitted a sign-on letter to the Director of the D.C. Department of Human Services containing signatures from 30 organizations and individuals, demanding that STAY DC’s translation function be improved so that Limited-English Proficient (LEP) and Non-English Proficient (NEP) D.C. residents affected by the COVID-19 pandemic are able to access vital financial assistance. Additionally, the sign-on letter highlights how the STAY DC program is at risk of wasting roughly $300 million in federal funds (as of June 2021) if they cannot adequately distribute the funds to D.C. residents by September 30, 2021.
Published on May 11, 2021, D.C.'s Justice Systems Overview 2020 provides a data-forward snapshot of the significant challenges and innovations faced by the District’s adult and youth criminal legal systems over the last 18 months.
