[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 40 (Thursday, April 14, 1994)]
[House]
[Page H]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: April 14, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
                            REGARDING CRIME

  (Ms. LAMBERT asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)
  Ms. LAMBERT. Mr. Speaker, growing up in my small hometown in rural 
Arkansas, we did not lock our doors. Sometimes we latched the screen 
door. But when people started putting locks on their houses, we should 
have started worrying about the deterioration of families and 
communities because the increase in crime is directly related to the 
decline of our families and communities.
  Now crime is rising 5 percent faster in rural America than in urban 
areas. And we have got to put the brakes on.
  I stand in support of today's crime bill, which is tough on crime. 
But I am especially supportive of the deterrent efforts like the ounce 
of prevention which will give structure to the lives of our teens. One 
of the most alarming statistics I have noticed in recent months shows 
that 82 percent of our prison population is high school dropouts. Just 
think of the possibilities for reducing crime if we just keep kids in 
school and rebuild our communities so that a burglary is a crime 
against a person and not just some unnamed house.
  A return to strong families, individual responsibility, and a sense 
of community will defeat crime faster than any buildings or laws. So I 
am proud to see that this bill devotes twice as much money to 
deterrence, toward building strong individuals, as to simply building 
more prisons.

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