"One of the proposals-known as the District of Columbia Cash Bail Reform Act of 2025 -would bring back cash bail and require judges to automatically detain people before trial for a much broader set of offenses, replacing the District's long-standing system that relies on judicial discretion and supervised release. Under current law, only a narrow set of serious violent offenses , such as armed robbery, assault with a dangerous weapon, or first-degree burglary, require judges to hold someone while the case moves forward."
""We need representatives to stand up and say what's right is right and what's wrong is wrong; and this is wrong. This is about home rule. This is about democracy. This is about self-governance. What it ain't about is safety," At-large Councilmember Robert White said on the steps of the Capitol building on Wednesday."
Legislation in the House would restore cash bail and expand mandatory pretrial detention in Washington, DC, shifting decisions away from local officials. Passage requires 60 votes in the Senate and at least seven Democrats willing to break ranks, making the outcome uncertain. Councilmembers and criminal-justice advocates frame the proposals as a conflict over who controls public safety and the limits of DC home rule. The District of Columbia Cash Bail Reform Act of 2025 would replace judicial discretion and supervised release with automatic detention for a much broader set of offenses. The bill would add lower- and mid-level charges to the list of offenses mandating detention.
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