About #DecrimPovertyDC

Our Mission Statement

Through ongoing advocacy, we aim to replace carceral systems with harm reduction-oriented systems of care that promote the dignity, autonomy, and health of people who use drugs, sex workers, and other criminalized populations.

Our Current Legislative Priority 

As a coalition, we are leading a legislative campaign calling on the District of Columbia to end the criminalization of drug use and possession, and instead address collateral consequences of drug convictions and invest in evidence-based public health approaches that dignify and support people who use drugs. The war on drugs has enabled law enforcement to harass, arrest, prosecute, deport, incarcerate, and even kill people – targeting Black, Latinx, and under-resourced communities in D.C. at vastly disproportionate rates. The impact extends far beyond the criminal legal system, as people face an array of punishments in employment, housing, education, immigration, child welfare, and public benefits – all of which can trap people in poverty. We want to see the D.C. Council introduce and pass our legislative proposal to transform D.C.’s drug laws and invest in a health-focused structure for people struggling with drug misuse and/or people negatively impacted by previous drug convictions.

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