[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.

                          ____________________