A House Democrat is calling for criminal justice reform after she was the victim of an assault in her apartment building in Washington, D.C.
During an appearance on “CBS Mornings” Tuesday, Rep. Angie Craig (D-Minn.) opened up about the incident.
“I got attacked by someone who the District of Columbia has not prosecuted fully over the course of almost a decade, over the course of 12 assaults before mine,” Craig said.
She went on, “And so I think we have to think about how in the world can we make sure that we’re not just letting criminals out? I mean, it wasn’t even in every instance that he got 10 days or 30 days. Many times the charges were completely dropped before any justice was achieved at all.”
The congresswoman added, “We have to get these repeat offenders off the street. We also have got to figure out how we get people the mental help and the addiction help that they need because these people are getting back out and they’re just recommitting the same crimes over and over and over again.”
Watch the video below:
“I got attacked by someone who the District of Columbia has not prosecuted fully over the course of almost a decade, over the course of 12 assaults before mine that morning”: @RepAngieCraig is calling for changes to prevent known criminals from targeting new victims. pic.twitter.com/Q391z6UBtA
— CBS Mornings (@CBSMornings) February 14, 2023
Craig’s comments come just days after her office released a statement revealing she had been assaulted in the elevator of her apartment building.
CBS News noted the suspect had a criminal history, including shoplifting, breaking and entering, and striking a police officer.
The Washington Free Beacon reported the suspect in Craig’s assault was released without bail after a second-degree theft charge on Sept. 21, 2022. And after he was arrested for failing to appear for his court hearing, the suspect was released on Dec. 15, 2022, with all charges against him dropped as part of a plea agreement.
The incident came after a midterm election cycle where crime was seen as a major issue.
And it comes as the nation’s capital has embarked on a mission to revamp its criminal code. Washington, D.C., Mayor Muriel Bowser (D) vetoed the measure, but the city council voted to override her.
The Washington Post noted the overhaul would “among other things, eliminate most mandatory minimum sentences, allow for jury trials in almost all misdemeanor cases, and reduce the maximum penalties for offenses such as burglaries, carjackings and robberies.”
It also comes as progressives around the country are pushing to reform bail laws and limit the use of bail to only violent felonies.
Even if you believe the nation’s bail laws and criminal justice system are too harsh and could use reform, there are some situations that should not be too controversial: such as making sure repeat offenders are not allowed to get back on the streets without bail or charges.
When you lower sentencing requirements, practically eliminate cash bail or do not even prosecute cases, it sends the message criminals can get away with breaking the law. And just on the matter of bail reform, there is a plethora of stories from New York where a suspect is arrested for a crime, released without bail, and then commits another crime.
At a certain point, the leniency needs to end. Otherwise, criminals will continue to take advantage of it and continue to victimize others.