U.S. Attorney’s Office Testifies Before D.C. Council in Support of the “Enhancing Mental Health Crisis Support and Hospitalization Amendment Act of 2024”

            WASHINGTON – The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia testified today at a committee hearing before the Council of the District of Columbia on proposed legislation, Bill 25-0692, addressing the “Enhancing Mental Health Crisis Support and Hospitalization Amendment Act of 2024.”

            USAO-DC strongly supports Bill 25-0692, the “Enhancing Mental Health Crisis Support and Hospitalization Amendment Act of 2024.” This bill will enhance the procedures relating to how the civil and criminal systems address the treatment and commitment of people with mental illnesses, when they are dangerous because of that mental illness. This bill will streamline processes and provide more tools to treatment providers and the courts both to address a person’s mental illness and to protect the community. This bill is a crucial tool that will help to address the overlap between mental health, civil commitment processes, and criminal justice.

            In addition to appearing before the Council’s Committee on the Judiciary and Public Safety, Elana Suttenberg, Special Counsel to the U.S. Attorney, and Jennifer Mika, U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia’s Pretrial Mental Health Coordinator, provided written remarks, available in the accompanying attachment .