[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 27 (Friday, February 10, 1995)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E319]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


                   VIOLENT CRIMINAL INCARCERATION ACT

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                               speech of

                   HON. FREDERICK K. (FRED) HEINEMAN

                           of north carolina

                    in the house of representatives

                       Thursday, February 9, 1995

       The House in Committee of the Whole House on the State of 
     the Union had under consideration the bill (H.R. 667) to 
     control crime by incarcerating violent criminals.

  Mr. HEINEMAN. Mr. Chairman, according to the FBI, the rate of violent 
crime in the United States is the worst for any developed western 
country. A murder occurs every 21 minutes. A rape every 5 minutes. A 
robbery every 46 seconds. An aggravated assault every 29 seconds.
  These are not the statistics of a country where people have just gone 
mad and are creating mayhem. After all, just 7 percent of the criminals 
commit nearly two-thirds of all crime. These are the statistics of a 
country that has failed to deal with a criminal justice crisis.
  It's very simple. Put criminals in jail and keep them there. The 
Bureau of Justice Statistics found that criminals serve only 45.4 
percent of their jail time; 51 percent of violent felons are released 
in 2 years or less; 30 percent of all murders in this country are 
committed by individuals on probation, bail, or parole.
  Cops are doing the best job they've ever done. They're catching the 
bad guys. Prosecutors are convicting and judges are sentencing. The 
problem is that prisons aren't keeping them. There is no room.
  Age is the key factor in predicting whether the serious criminal of 
today will repeat their offenses. The younger a criminal is when first 
arrested, the higher the rate of repeat offending. The older a prisoner 
is when released, the lower the rate of repeat offending. Instead of 
keeping criminals in prison, we are turning them loose younger and 
younger during their crime spree years.
  Imprisoning and incapacitating the serious criminals being released 
early today throughout America would cost far less than releasing them. 
A study by the National Institute of Justice concluded that offenders 
on the loose cost society over 17 times as much as it would cost to 
keep them behind bars.
  Patrick Langan, a noted criminologist wrote:

       Rising incarceration rates reduce crime in two ways. 
     Through their deterrent effect, would-be offenders are 
     deterred from committing crimes by the growing threat of a 
     prison sentence. Through their incapacitative effect, 
     increasing numbers of offenders are physically prevented from 
     committing new crimes because they are behind bars.

That's not even counting the increasing numbers of victims.
  The criminal knows the system. He has no fear that he will do jail 
time. He knows there is no room at the inn.
  Since the 1960's, we have conducted the largest prison alternatives 
program in the history of the world. And it has failed
 miserably. It is time to put criminals in prison. It is also time to 
return to the concept of prisons that punish, rather than providing 
recreational opportunities for its occupants. Prison should be an 
experience that no one wants to repeat.

  Evidence suggests that there is a strong correlation between 
increased incarceration and lower crime rates: from 1990 to 1991, 
States with greatest increases in criminal incarceration experienced an 
average decrease of 12.7 percent in crime. On the other hand, those 
States with the weakest incarceration rates experienced a 6.9 percent 
increase in crime on the average.
  Once again, it's very simple. Put the criminals in jail and keep them 
there.
  The Violent Criminal Incarceration Act will do just that. States can 
challenge their nonsensical consent decrees that force 
counterproductive prison caps on their prisons. Prison funding is 
increased from $8 billion to $10.5 billion. Additional prison 
construction funding is authorized for those States that require 
criminals to serve 85 percent of their sentences. If we need more 
prisons, so be it. The lives of our families and our neighbors' 
families should outweigh the needs of criminals.
  There is a fire on the streets of America today. Crime is that fire. 
We need to put out that fire. Then we need to concentrate on the long-
term meaningful programs to prevent crime. In the long run, prisons are 
definitely not the answer. We must delve into the difficult arena of 
welfare reform, education reform, and other societal needs, but for 
those of us in the homes and on the streets of America today, we need 
relief. Construct prisons and put criminals where they can't commit 
crimes. The people of America deserve no less.


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