[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 40 (Thursday, March 8, 2007)]
[Senate]
[Pages S2888-S2889]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
PENNSYLVANIA ANTI-CRIME AND YOUTH INITIATIVE
Mr. SPECTER. Mr. President, youth violence is an enormous problem
across America, including Pennsylvania. Regrettably, the city of
Philadelphia had more homicides last year than any major city.
This is a problem that has been present in major American cities, and
Philadelphia specifically, since the days when I was Philadelphia's
district attorney. A great number of those homicides are related to
youth violence.
On January 19 of this year, I convened a meeting that was attended by
Mayor John Street; District Attorney Abraham; U.S. Attorney Pat Meehan;
and representatives of Governor Rendell, with whom I discussed the
matter specifically. There was a followup hearing attended by Senator
Casey and myself on February 19, where we addressed the subject with a
focus on trying to find mentors for these at-risk youth.
We are searching for long-range solutions to the crime problem, the
underlying causes of crime--which is obviously very complicated and
very long term--such as education, training, job training, decent
housing, and a whole host of factors that lead to crime. It is a matter
I have been working on for decades, since my days as an assistant
district attorney in Philadelphia. Regrettably, we don't seem to be
much further along on attacking those underlying causes of crime, or
dealing with the problems of criminal recidivism, after people are
released from jail. It is no surprise that if we release a functional
illiterate from jail, they will go back to a crime of violence. Without
being able to read or write and not having job training, there is a
very high degree of recidivism. We are trying to push the so-called
second offender law to give people rehabilitation after the first
offense.
Senator Casey and I believe that addresses the issue in the short
term, but it is not the answer, because there is no absolute answer.
However, short-term help could be provided if we could find mentors to
team up with at-risk youth on an individual basis. Many of these at-
risk youth come from broken homes and have no parental guidance. If
there could be a mentor, or ``substitute parent,'' in the short term, I
think that could be helpful.
We have also worked with the superintendent of schools of
Philadelphia, on some ideas he has about trying to give motivation to
high school students, to put them on a path of going to college. We are
working to have some early determination from the many colleges and
universities in the Philadelphia area, to try to encourage these young
people to be motivated to finish high school with the prospect of
college.
Regarding the mentoring program, we are asking the universities also
to see if they can provide mentors from their student body or faculty
and, in the case of students, to give them course credit. We reached
out to the athletic teams in Philadelphia, including the 76ers, the
Eagles, and efforts are being made to include the Philadelphia Phillies
as well, because it is well known that young people are interested in
role models and might be willing to follow that lead.
We have also moved forward on trying to improve the situation in the
city of Reading, which has been designated as the 21st most violent
city in the United States. Toward that end, on February 23, with the
cooperation of one of Reading's leading citizens, Al Boscov, we
convened a meeting with the U.S. Attorney's Office, the FBI, the
Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, the Drug Enforcement Agency, the State
police, the local chief of police, the local sheriff, the school
superintendent, and with citizens to again look at the crime problem.
We intend to follow up in Reading to try to get additional personnel to
assist that city, because it is, as I said, the 21st most dangerous
city in the United States.
We have similar meetings planned for Lancaster and York next Monday,
on the 12th. We also intend to go to Allentown and other cities. In
Pittsburgh, we plan to convene a meeting on April 5, looking for ways
to bring more Federal resources to bear on this crime problem. We are
looking to the upcoming budget to try to provide more funds, similar to
the $2.5 million grant we obtained for the U.S. Attorney for the
Eastern District of Pennsylvania to service the corridor from the
Lehigh Valley through Reading and through Lancaster.
I ask unanimous consent that a statement be printed, with
understanding that there will be some repetition in the written
statement of what I have presented extemporaneously.
There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in
the Record, as follows:
Senator Arlen Specter--Pennsylvania Anti-Crime and Youth Violence
Initiative
Mr. SPECTER. Mr. President, I seek recognition to discuss
my recent efforts to address the crime and youth violence
issues facing cities in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
Pennsylvania is making great strides in revitalizing its
cities through economic and community development.
Unfortunately, the same cities that are investing substantial
human and economic capital in revitalization efforts are also
facing increased levels of crime. For example, Philadelphia
had the highest homicide rate of all
[[Page S2889]]
large cities in the United States in 2006--406 murders in one
year. The smaller city of Reading was ranked as the 21st most
dangerous in the Nation, and the most dangerous city in the
state of Pennsylvania. Cities across the state are
experiencing disturbingly high levels of youth involvement in
crime and gangs--an average of 15 young people between the
ages of 10 and 24 are murdered every day in the state of
Pennsylvania. The cost of crime to victims, neighborhoods,
and communities across America is staggering: at a September
19, 2006 Senate Judiciary Committee hearing, economist Jens
Ludwig estimated that the pecuniary and non-pecuniary costs
of crime amounted to approximately $2 trillion nationwide per
year, or 17 percent of the GDP.
I have sought to examine the nature of crime and youth
violence in cities across Pennsylvania by convening
stakeholder meetings among Federal, State and local elected
officials and leaders in the fields of law enforcement and
crime prevention. These meetings have provided an avenue for
understanding the nature of local problems, provided a
constructive forum for discussing ongoing law enforcement and
prevention efforts designed to combat these problems, and
created an opportunity to discuss ideas for innovative
solutions moving forward.
On January 19, I held a roundtable discussion in
Philadelphia at which Mayor John Street, District Attorney
Lynne Abraham, United States Attorney Pat Meehan,
Philadelphia School District Chief Executive Officer Paul
Vallas, and other leaders in the community discussed
innovative solutions to the youth violence problem in the
city of Philadelphia. We discussed the idea of bolstering
mentoring efforts in the city of Philadelphia--an approach I
find very promising. Research shows that children with the
positive influence of an adult mentor in their lives are
significantly less likely to start using drugs and alcohol or
to be violent, and are more likely to be productive in school
and to have healthier peer and family relationships.
Following our meeting in Philadelphia, I have encouraged the
participation of volunteers from Philadelphia area
businesses, colleges and universities, and professional
sports teams, including the Eagles, the 76ers, and the
Phillies, in a citywide mentoring initiative. Volunteers from
those organizations will be working in cooperation with the
United Way and Big Brothers Big Sisters of America, with whom
we have partnered to ensure that volunteers have the training
and support they need to form successful mentoring
relationships.
On February 23, I held a roundtable discussion in Reading,
PA, at which Representative Joe Pitts, Representative Jim
Gerlach, and I discussed the collaborative efforts of State,
local, and Federal law enforcement with United States
Attorney Pat Meehan and representatives from the Federal
Bureau of Investigation, the Drug Enforcement Administration,
the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, the United
States Marshal, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the
Pennsylvania State Police, Reading City Police, and Berks
County Sheriff's Department. The discussion capitalized, in
part, on the previous efforts of community leader Albert
Boscov, who has been hosting an ongoing working group focused
on anti-crime issues in Reading. Our dialogue focused on the
most effective and efficient methods of keeping the streets
of Reading and surrounding neighborhoods safe. Presently, the
largest Federal presence in the area is the Anti-Gang
Initiative focused on the ``222 Corridor'' between Allentown
and Lancaster--which has provided a $2.5 million grant to
facilitate a collaborative Federal, State and local response
to the gang-related drug and gun trafficking in the area. The
initiative, which focuses on criminal law enforcement,
prevention programs to steer kids away from criminal
activity, and reentry programs to assist those returning from
prison to integrate back into society, is already making
headway into the gang problems in the area. Despite this
progress, Federal, State and local law enforcement officers
conveyed to me and to Representative Pitts and Gerlach the
continuing need for more resources in order to get more cops
out on the street.
I remain committed to ensuring that State and local law
enforcement receive the support that it needs. I will be
working with Federal law enforcement agencies to ensure that
existing programs are meeting the needs of the communities in
the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and across the United
States. I also plan to hold similar meetings in York,
Lancaster, Allentown, Pittsburgh and other Pennsylvania
cities in the coming months.
As the Senate moves forward in the 110th Congress, there
are a number of important legislative items focused on crime
prevention that demand our attention. The Juvenile Justice
Act, which was most recently authorized in the 21st Century
Department of Justice Appropriations Authorization Act (P.L.
107-273) is due to be reauthorized this year, and I will be
working to ensure that Juvenile Justice programs are
reauthorized in the form that most effectively and
efficiently handles the challenges of youth violence and
delinquency. The Recidivism Reduction and Second Chance Act,
which I will be introducing with Senators Brownback, Leahy,
and Biden, will provide essential reentry services to
prisoners in order to reduce recidivism rates, keep former
offenders productively engaged in society, and keep our
streets more safe.
We must do everything we can to ensure that the Nation's
youth receive the assistance they need to develop into
productive, healthy adults and to protect our citizens from
being victimized. I look forward to making a renewed
commitment toward coordinated law enforcement and prevention
efforts in the 110th Congress.
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