Digital Library
A brief explainer about the Strengthening Probate Administration Act of 2023 and what the bill is designed to do and how it will change current D.C. law. This explainer also defines some of the key terms involved in the bill and estate adminstration law generally.
While considerable attention has been focused recently on illegal behavior by young people in D.C., little is known about the life experiences and circumstances of these youth. One characteristic that many justice-involved young people are known to share is involvement in the child welfare system due to abuse and neglect; they are known as “crossover youth.” This report by The Council for Court Excellence for ODCA focuses on how effectively the District is serving this vulnerable population and recommends reforms to the audited agencies’ systems to improve outcomes for young people in the District who are, or who are at risk of becoming, crossover youth.
On April 10, 2024, Tracy Velazquez, CCE's Policy Director, testified at the Budget Oversight Hearing for the D.C. Department of Corrections before the Council of the District of Columbia.
This issue brief provides an overview of CCE's efforts to get information and data about the use of solitary confinement - often referred to as restrictive housing or segregation - in D.C. Department of Corrections (DOC) facilities. It goes on to summarize the limited data that was provided after protracted negotiations, and describes the inquiries that remain unanswered by DOC.
On February 22, 2024, CCE submitted testimony for the Performance Oversight Hearing for the Office of Administrative Hearings before the Council of the District of Columbia.
The DC Criminal Legal Systems Overview 2022 offers a data-forward look into the significant challenges and innovations in the District of Columbia’s adult and youth criminal legal systems during the last year. As D.C. began to emerge from the most devastating impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2022, community members and government leaders continued to navigate challenges caused and exacerbated by the trauma, isolation, and disruptions over the past three years.
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.
