District of Columbia § 22-811 Contributing to the delinquency of a minor.

District of Columbia Statutes

§ 22-811 — Contributing to the delinquency of a minor.

District of Columbia § 22-811

Title 22Criminal Offenses and Penalties.

Ch. 8ACrimes Committed Against Minors.

This text of District of Columbia § 22-811 (Contributing to the delinquency of a minor.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District of Columbia primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook

D.C. Code § 22-811 (2026).

Text

(a)It is unlawful for an adult, being 4 or more years older than a minor, to invite, solicit, recruit, assist, support, cause, encourage, enable, induce, advise, incite, facilitate, permit, or allow the minor to:

(1)Be truant from school;

(2)Possess or consume alcohol or, without a valid prescription, a controlled substance as that term is defined in § 48-901.02(4) ;

(3)Run away for the purpose of criminal activity from the place of abode of his or her parent, guardian, or other custodian;

(4)Violate a court order;

(5)Violate any criminal law of the District of Columbia for which the penalty constitutes a misdemeanor, except for acts of civil disobedience;

(6)Join a criminal street gang as that term is defined in § 22-951(e)(1) ; or

(7)Violate any criminal law

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

(a) It is unlawful for an adult, being 4 or more years older than a minor, to invite, solicit, recruit, assist, support, cause, encourage, enable, induce, advise, incite, facilitate, permit, or allow the minor to:

(1) Be truant from school;

(2) Possess or consume alcohol or, without a valid prescription, a controlled substance as that term is defined in § 48-901.02(4) ;

(3) Run away for the purpose of criminal activity from the place of abode of his or her parent, guardian, or other custodian;

(4) Violate a court order;

(5) Violate any criminal law of the District of Columbia for which the penalty constitutes a misdemeanor, except for acts of civil disobedience;

(6) Join a criminal street gang as that term is defined in § 22-951(e)(1) ; or

(7) Violate any criminal law of the District of Columbia for which the penalty constitutes a felony, or any criminal law of the United States, or the criminal law of any other jurisdiction that involves conduct that would constitute a felony if committed in the District of Columbia, except for acts of civil disobedience.

(1) Except as provided in paragraphs (2), (4) and (5) of this subsection, a person convicted of violating subsection (a)(1)-(6) of this section shall be fined not more than the amount set forth in § 22-3571.01 , or imprisoned for not more than 6 months, or both.

(2) A person convicted of violating subsection (a)(2)-(6) of this section, having previously been convicted of an offense under subsection (a)(2)-(6) of this section or a substantially similar offense in this or any other jurisdiction, shall be fined not more than the amount set forth in § 22-3571.01 or imprisoned for not more than 3 years, or both.

(3) Except as provided in paragraphs (4) and (5) of this subsection, a person convicted of violating subsection (a)(7) of this section shall be fined not more than the amount set forth in § 22-3571.01 or imprisoned for not more than 5 years, or both.

(4) A person convicted of violating subsection (a) of this section that results in serious bodily injury to the minor or any other person shall be fined not more than the amount set forth in § 22-3571.01 or imprisoned for not more than 5 years, or both.

(5) A person convicted of violating subsection (a) of this section that results in the death of the minor or any other person shall be fined not more than the amount set forth in § 22-3571.01 or imprisoned for not more than 10 years, or both.

(c) The penalties under this section are in addition to any other penalties permitted by law.

(d) It is not a defense to a prosecution under this section that the minor does not engage in, is not charged with, is not adjudicated delinquent for, or is not convicted as an adult, for any conduct set forth in subsection (a)(1)-(7) of this section.

(e) The Attorney General for the District of Columbia, or his or her assistants, shall prosecute a violation of subsection (a) of this section for which the penalty is set forth in subsection (c)(1) of this section.

(f) For the purposes of this section, the term:

(1) “Adult” means a person 18 years of age or older at the time of the offense.

(2) “Minor” means a person under 18 years of age at the time of the offense.