[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 68 (Thursday, May 26, 1994)]
[Senate]
[Page S]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: May 26, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
                   FOCUS ON PREVENTING YOUTH VIOLENCE

  (Mrs. BYRNE asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)
  Mrs. BYRNE. Mr. Speaker, last month, the House approved the most 
sweeping anticrime legislation in its history and we must get this bill 
signed by the President.
  To quote Lieutenant Boykin, a police officer in my district, 
``violence is an equal opportunity employer that strikes anyone, 
anywhere, anytime * * *'' and this crime bill focuses on that random, 
senseless violence.
  For example, it just makes sense to encourage the adoption of truth-
in-sentencing laws.
  Otherwise we will have little impact on stopping the revolving door 
that gives criminals repeated chances to wreak havoc on society and 
turn safehavens into battlefields.
  Of course we need to put criminals behind bars, but we cannot give up 
on today's 4- and 5-year-olds by simply building prisons for the 
future.
  That is why we must also focus on preventing youth violence.
  It is about programs, like an ``ounce of prevention,'' that provide 
children with the support and opportunities they need to be productive, 
law-abiding citizens.

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