During an interview with Washington, D.C. NPR affiliate WAMU on Thursday, D.C. City Councilwoman Christina Henderson (I) responded to criticism from U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro on laws regarding juvenile offenders that were shared by Biden appointee Matthew Graves by saying that “the U.S. Attorney is making it seem as though we are some outlier” with its laws on juvenile records, which is what she said “the legislation that Pirro is talking about, or at least has written the Council about” deal with.
WAMU Producer/Editor Kayla Hewitt asked, “So, this is not the first time that concerns over these laws have been raised. Former Biden-appointed U.S. Attorney for D.C., Matthew Graves also shared similar concerns while he was in office. Would you consider making some of these changes that Pirro is talking about?”
Henderson responded, “So, the legislation that Pirro is talking about, or at least has written the Council about, are all dealing with records after the fact. So, we’re talking about expungements, we’re talking about motions to seal, we’re talking about the ability for someone to be able to petition for a judge to look at their case. And what I am a bit frustrated with is that the U.S. Attorney is making it seem as though we are some outlier here, for instance, on record sealing. 34 states enacted 82 laws in 2021 alone to expand record sealing and relief. So, D.C. is not some outlier. But, again, I’m open to having conversations about what we do here. Now, since I’ve been a Councilmember, I feel like we have voted on public safety legislation every year. And, most recently, Peace D.C., which expanded pre-trial detention. So, this idea that the Council is not willing to work and listen to our federal partners or our partners in the justice system overall about what’s working and what’s not is not factually accurate, but we have to have the opportunity to have that conversation.”
Follow Ian Hanchett on Twitter @IanHanchett
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