Jade Chong-Smith

defense lawyer + board mmbr of @DCJusticeLab. former legal officer @privacyint, DCLSIC defender & educator. @yalelawsch grad. she/her. std disclaimers.

[Jade Chong-Smith @JadeChongSmith]

As #DOJ intensifies its focus on pandemic-related #fraud in #governmentcontracting, defense attorneys should understand how to counter prosecutorial attempts to invoke provisions of the sentencing guidelines where they do not apply. I explain for @Law360. https://t.co/OkMFcYsKxT

[Archive: AG Karl A. Racine @AGKarlRacine]

DC tenants: As of October 1, all housing providers must keep your living space at least 68 degrees during the day and 65 degrees at night.

We’ve already received and responded to some complaints of lack of proper heat.

[Jade Chong-Smith @JadeChongSmith]

Loss calculations can really drive up potential sentencing liability. Check out my #InsightZS blog post about govt contracting cases and how prosecution arguments for higher sentences can be based on an outdated version of the Federal Sentencing Guidelines.

[Zuckerman Spaeder LLP @ZS_Law]

In gov't contracting fraud cases with no actual or intended loss, defense attys should be on the lookout for prosecution attempts to invoke the “government benefits rule” to estimate “total gain” as an alternative measure of “actual loss.” #InsightZS blog: https://t.co/1LI3rNar55

[Harriet’s Dreams @HarrietsDreams]

We’re working with @DCJusticeLab to create a #SafeAndFreeDC for Black folx in DC. If DC is safer for Black people, then it will be a safe space for ALL people. To see how we’re doing this through policy work, join us on zoom right now!

[Olivia @oliviadinucci]

“At the core (of the issues in DC) is that we do not have systems of care and these systems are rooted in white supremacy and anti-Blackness,” @DCJusticeLab @HarrietsDreams.

#SafeAndFreeDC summit is all day if you want to listen: https://t.co/yzwHdG8noz

[Jade Chong-Smith @JadeChongSmith]

Safety is where policing is a last resort, not the first resort. Limiting the authority of police, prosecutors, & prisons gives people the freedom to advance safety. - Patrice Sulton @DCJusticeLab

[Jade Chong-Smith @JadeChongSmith]

Safety is where Black bodies aren't policed & aren't violated, but where Black people have the ability to move through the world & thrive. - @nknapper

#SafeAndFreeDC

[DC Justice Lab @DCJusticeLab]

@lookitsnaike @nknapper @ACLU_DC @ItsNeeTay @HarrietsDreams "Stop and Frisk doesn't nothing but scare community and make them feel like they are prisoners in their own community. Jump-outs are a more traumatic version of stop and frisk that is unique to DC."

[Jade Chong-Smith @JadeChongSmith]

People often confuse security w/ safety. Security is about coercion+control and is often reactionary+retributive rather than preventative+restorative. True safety is about investing in communities & ppl; safest places are not most policed places. - @lookitsnaike @DCJusticeLab

[Jade Chong-Smith @JadeChongSmith]

You can help people who have caused harm & ppl who have survived harm; freedom & safety are not mutually exclusive concepts. But stripping the men out of a neighborhood & putting them in cages has a negative impact on the community & is not safety. - Patrice Sulton @DCJusticeLab

[Jade Chong-Smith @JadeChongSmith]

The @DCJusticeLab 2022 Safety Summit, happening now virtually, presents a Black-led, pro-Black public safety agenda, setting forth conditions for true, sustainable safety, which is less about law & order and more about opportunities for people to thrive.

https://t.co/PXWimdJDdE

[Jade Chong-Smith @JadeChongSmith]

#SafeAndFreeDC is about reminding people of their power and giving them the tools they need to have the impact they deserve, so they can ensure legislators conform the law to the will of the people. - Patrice Sulton of
@DCJusticeLab

Go to https://t.co/IUiYIF1zIk to learn more!

[Jade Chong-Smith @JadeChongSmith]

Tomorrow, @DCJusticeLab is hosting "Safety Summit 2022: Prevention over Punishment." Help put together a new, evidence-based legislative agenda that responds to the community's needs with short- and long-term solutions rather than simply state violence.

https://t.co/ulv2CkPlUP

[Jade Chong-Smith @JadeChongSmith]

Public safety & accountability do not need to be and should not be synonymous with incarceration. - @marc4justice talking #DCCodeReform

[Jade Chong-Smith @JadeChongSmith]

The current DC code is not just the result of a lack of imagination; it was drafted not long after slavery was abolished, & many laws trace back to the Black Codes and the slave codes. That's just 1 reason why #DCCodeReform is needed - Patrice Sulton, @DCJusticeLab

[Jade Chong-Smith @JadeChongSmith]

We need fewer on-ramps and more off-ramps to the criminal legal system in DC, & expanding the Second Look Act provides another off-ramp that will offer more justice & more mercy to DC residents. - @pdsdc GC Laura Hankins, at day 2 of CCCR symposium on now https://t.co/DZH27NpT3k

[Jade Chong-Smith @JadeChongSmith]

Just as we have to ask why we criminalize behavior, we have to ask why we sentence people. If the purpose is to warehouse people, the current system can continue. But warehousing people should not be a legitimate aim. That's why we need rebuilding & reform. -@reneemhutchins

[Jade Chong-Smith @JadeChongSmith]

The more laws on the books, the more license we give police to interfere with people in a nonconsensual way. Out of 700+ offenses in DC, a very small # are actually charged. But there are 700+ licenses for police to stop, search, and arrest people. - @premaldharia

[Jade Chong-Smith @JadeChongSmith]

In June, #911 operators in #DC will be able to send unarmed, mental health experts to emergency situations, instead of the #police. DC estimates +25% of 911 calls can be diverted this way. This will help ensure ppl aren't punished for #mentalhealth issues. https://t.co/KpsAirLEDU

[Jade Chong-Smith @JadeChongSmith]

Today, the #DC #jail announced an end to its over a year long 23-hr lock down. People awaiting trial who are presumed innocent endured 23 hrs a day, alone in their cells. @DCJusticeLab and @DCjails_justice have great ideas for a more compassionate system. https://t.co/6eqqSxai7I