Juvenile crime in Washington, D.C., is out of control. To restore order in the nation’s capital, the Department of Justice is right to put the onus on delinquent parents. This might do something to change an unacceptable status quo that, for years, has made the capital a national embarrassment on crime.Fighting crime and restoring order is a high priority of the Trump administration. In August 2025, Trump declared a “crime emergency” and invoked the 1973 Home Rule Act to activate the D.C. National Guard and take control of the district’s police force.The Make DC Safe and Beautiful Task Force cut crime sharply. “The results,” U.S. Attorney for D.C. Jeanine Pirro said in January 2026, “are palpable.” Homicides in the city have dropped by 60% to the lowest level since 1900.
But more work is needed. While overall adult crime has trended downward, some juvenile crime has gotten worse. Juveniles are disproportionately involved in vehicle thefts, robberies, and carjackings, among other offenses. When young offenders are allowed to terrorize neighborhoods with little consequence, it teaches them that the law is optional and teaches everyone else that public order is negotiable.
Perhaps the most visible examples of disorder are “teen takeovers,” in which dozens or even hundreds of teenagers disrupt public places.
