[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 30 (Thursday, March 17, 1994)]
[House]
[Page H]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: March 17, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
                 CALIFORNIA CRIMINAL SENTENCING REFORM

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from California [Mr. Dreier] is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. DREIER. Mr. Speaker, we have heard a great deal of talk over the 
past several years about the fact that there are people who through 
present Government policy seem to be more concerned about the rights of 
the perpetrator than they are of the rights of the victim. Nowhere is 
that concern now being addressed with more outrage than in California.
  My home town of Claremont was in a great deal of rage earlier this 
week with over 150 people protesting the release of a man who 20 years 
ago began a pattern of rape and attack on women, and tragically, under 
a law that was passed in California in 1976, signed by Governor Jerry 
Brown, the Determinate Sentencing Act is structured in such a way that 
these criminals are able to, with this structure, be continually 
released back out onto the streets. And the pattern has been shown 
through the tragic killing of Polly Klaas in northern California, the 
release of what was known as the college terrorist, and the prospect of 
the release of Mr. Hubbart, who was known as the pillowcase rapist, 
that this law must be changed.
  So just a few moments ago I, with the support of a number of my 
California colleagues, introduced House Resolution 391, which basically 
calls on the State legislature in California to address this issue by 
making the State's indeterminate sentencing system applicable to all 
serious violent crimes, while continuing to provide and maintain any 
current minimum sentences for such crimes.
  It seems to me, as we look at this pattern, there is a desire to have 
this issue addressed. Governor Wilson has tried to deal with this. But 
under the constraints of this law, he has been unable to. Governor 
Wilson has stepped forward and called for dramatically increasing the 
sentencing for these individuals who are perpetrating these sexual 
offenses, and it seems to me that we need very much to have the State 
legislature in California take that action.
  Mr. Speaker, the history of crime which was perpetrated by 
Christopher Evans Hubbart throughout the San Gabriel Valley in southern 
California has been horrendous. In fact, one time when he was released, 
he committed a rape the very day that he was released, and that was 
created by this law which desperately needs to be changed.
  So, Mr. Speaker, I hope very much that the California legislature 
will respond to the cry of Governor Wilson and the cry of those Members 
who join me in cosponsoring this Resolution 391 which has been 
introduced this evening, and I hope that the House will join in 
cosponsoring and overwhelmingly supporting this very important piece of 
legislation, so that we can finally demonstrate at least as much 
concern for the victim as we do for the perpetrator.

                          ____________________