Our Revolving Door Justice System - Washington, DC Edition

Because it is unfair to keep people in jail, or something... As Congress debates DC's new criminal code, activists urge everyone to get to work - ABC News

At a press conference Monday, Metropolitan Police Chief Robert Contee stressed what he called the need for long sentences for those guilty of homicide. He said the average homicide suspect has been arrested 11 times prior.

They haven't been arrested for homicide 11 times. "Lesser" crimes like assault. (They also haven't been arrested 11 times for petty crimes is my guess, but that figure will include some number of felonies.) But it is unfair to keep bad guys in jail, so they turn them loose, and the behavior gets worse. Do you expect behavior to get better in the absence of consequences?

The number of D.C. homicides so far this year is up 31% compared to this point in 2022, according to data from the Metropolitan Police Department. There were 203 homicides last year -- a slight reduction from 2021, which followed several years of steady increases in homicides going back to 2017.

Total reports of violent crime in the district, including murder, rape, robbery and aggravated assault, are down slightly so far this year while overall reported crime is up 25%, according to MPD.

The key phrase is "reported crime."

Of course it is not only Washington, DC that is having this problem.

Portland, Oregon (from 2022): Average homicide suspect had been arrested 6 times prior, report says.

On average, homicide suspects had been arrested about 6 times prior to killing their victims, a large amount of whom also had documented criminal records, the report said.

Suspects in the shootings had, on average, been arrested 8 times previously.

The report did not detail exactly which crimes had led to each suspect’s arrest, but said most were for property, drug, disorder and unarmed violent offenses.

And a smaller percent of murders are being solved nationally. As Murders Spiked, Police Solved About Half in 2020

For homicide detectives, 2020 brought good news and bad news. On the one hand, police across the nation solved more murders — in absolute numbers — than in any year since 1997, according to data reported to the FBI. On the other hand, because new homicides increased sharply, the reported rate at which killings were solved, known as the “clearance rate,” declined to a little below 50%.

Civilization is built on law and order, on being mostly sure that you can keep the fruits of your labor. For whatever reason the folks running the Blue Cities are determined to destroy law and order.