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.