Fact check: Does Washington D.C. count murders by juveniles in their overall homicide count

1. Summary of the results

Based on the analyses provided, none of the sources explicitly address whether Washington D.C. counts murders by juveniles in their overall homicide count. This represents a significant gap in available information regarding the specific question posed.

However, the sources do provide relevant context about juvenile crime in D.C.:

• Multiple sources confirm that juvenile crime remains a significant concern in Washington D.C. ^{[1] [2]}
• The number of juveniles arrested in Washington D.C. has increased each year since 2020 ^{[1] [2]}
• In 2024, approximately 1,128 individuals under the age of 18 were arrested ^[3]
• Many of these juveniles had prior arrests for violent crimes ^[2]
• Sources mention that there have been nearly 100 homicides in D.C., including fatal shootings of innocent civilians ^[2]

2. Missing context/alternative viewpoints

The analyses reveal several critical gaps in addressing the original question:

• No source provides definitive information about D.C.'s methodology for counting juvenile homicides in overall statistics
• While sources discuss crime data reliability ^[4], they don't specifically address how different age groups are categorized in homicide statistics
• There's mention of potential investigation into whether D.C. crime stats were manipulated ^[5], but this doesn't clarify the juvenile counting methodology
• Experts consider D.C.'s murder rate statistics to be "very reliable" ^[4], but this general assessment doesn't answer the specific question about juvenile inclusion

The missing context suggests that standard crime reporting practices would typically include all homicides regardless of perpetrator age, but this assumption isn't confirmed by the available sources.

3. Potential misinformation/bias in the original statement

The original question itself doesn't contain misinformation or bias - it's a straightforward factual inquiry. However, the complete absence of direct answers in multiple sources suggests this may be:

• A deliberately obscure aspect of crime reporting that officials prefer not to clarify publicly
• An indication that standard practices are assumed without explicit documentation
• A reflection of political sensitivity around juvenile crime statistics, given the broader political context mentioned in sources about D.C. crime being "out of control" ^{[2] [6]}

The fact that sources discuss juvenile arrests and crime trends extensively ^{[1] [2] [3]} while avoiding the specific counting methodology question suggests there may be institutional reluctance to provide transparency on this particular aspect of crime statistics compilation.