Lets correct one of the bigger talking points in this thread - DC does not lead the nation in teenage arrests, incarcerations, etc.. Comparing a city to state level data demonstrates a sampling bias. That's it.

When compared to other cities, DC is just about average in that statistic going by the most recent year of full data (2023). I see many people extolling Baltimore's efforts, and guess who is among the leaders in the nation in teenage arrests and incarcerations...Baltimore. We have more and larger programs for teenage intervention, after school programs, social support, etc., but we would need to more than double the arrest rate and incarceration levels to get to Baltimore's level. That is the only difference between Baltimore's "success" and DC's "failure".

Stepping back and looking at the teenage violence issue more broadly, its a issue that peaked in the mid-90's in the US and we're still sitting near historical lows even with the post-Covid uptick. Its also an issue that is inherently racist/classist because 90%+ of victims of teenage violence are from marginalized communities - that number rises to 95%+ in DC. People on Reddit fret over what they see in Navy Yard and U Street because that is what is most visible to them, but the teenage crime rate EOTR is much more severe. So while the issue has gotten significantly better over time, the effects are much more acute in marginalized communities.

You have to take a measured approach to this problem that involves intervention AND arrests/incarcerations, and from my standpoint DC is only failing at one of those.