Prisoner Petitions – District of Columbia (DC)

District of Columbia Prisoner Petitions Cases filed in the US District Court for the District of Columbia

In November 2016, the Council of the District of Columbia passed the Incarceration Reduction Amendment Act of 2016 (IRAA), providing a sentencing review opportunity for some (but not all) individuals sentenced in Washington, D.C. who were convicted of an offense that occurred before they reached the age of 18.  In December 2018, the Council passed the Omnibus Public Safety and Justice Amendment Act of 2018, which included clarifying amendments as to the retroactive application of the earlier legislation.
The IRAA amendments went into effect on May 9, 2019.  It permits an individual to petition the court for a sentencing review IF:
1) they were convicted of a violation of the D.C. Code in the District of Columbia Superior Court (not federal court in D.C.), and
2) they were convicted in adult court for an offense that occurred before their 18th birthday, and
3) they have served at least 15 years in prison.