[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 119 (Tuesday, July 24, 2007)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1612]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




INTRODUCTION OF THE PATH TO SUCCESS: GANG PREVENTION THROUGH COMMUNITY 
                            PARTNERSHIPS ACT

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. ALCEE L. HASTINGS

                               of florida

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, July 24, 2007

  Mr. HASTINGS of Florida. Madam Speaker, I rise today to introduce the 
Path to Success Act.
  This important piece of legislation addresses a pressing social 
dilemma that has permeated American society, successfully wreaking 
havoc, fear, and violence indiscriminately in urban and rural 
communities alike. Gang-related offenses have peaked to astronomical 
numbers, making youth gangs an endemic feature of American life. Most 
of these gang members are engulfed in a cyclical culture of poverty, 
illiteracy, and homelessness which contribute to excessive recidivism 
rates. Youths who are particularly vulnerable for recruitment are 
quickly indoctrinated into lawlessness.
  The bill I am introducing today authorizes the Secretary of Education 
to award $20 million in grants to community colleges that agree to 
enter into and maintain partnerships with juvenile detention centers by 
providing juvenile ex-offenders with a supportive learning environment 
where they can attain marketable skills and credentials needed for 
their constructive re-entry into society. Under the bill, each 
community college will be encouraged to grant academic merit to 
eligible participants based on their distinctive academic backgrounds, 
learning curves, and concentration interests.
  Under this bill, community colleges who apply for these grants will 
be responsible for facilitating the academic, psychological, and social 
adjustment of juvenile ex-offenders who were detained for gang related 
offenses. These community colleges will serve as hubs for networks 
among local organizations that are committed to assisting youthful 
offenders' successful reintegration into society.
  With these grants, community colleges can work with different 
partners to employ intervention strategies to divert at-risk youth from 
crime by providing counseling, academic or vocational training, and 
professional development to eligible participants enrolled in the 
program. In fact, this legislation requires that community colleges 
partner with both public and private entities to facilitate 
internships, apprenticeships, and permanent employment opportunities 
for eligible participants. This feature of the outreach effort is 
especially relevant to ensure recidivism prevention.
  At this juncture, we must set precedence on determining pragmatic 
measures that will mitigate gang violence. Gang violence presents an 
intricate challenge to communities around the United States, especially 
in areas where there is significant socio-economic duress. Ultimately, 
no one can cite the one definitive cause of community violence, 
poverty, neighborhood deterioration, or why Johnny cannot read. These 
types of contemporary problems have increasingly become more 
qualitatively complex.
  This is exactly why we cannot afford to adopt parochial methods to 
mitigate juvenile delinquency. Since it is virtually impossible for one 
agency to unilaterally solve intractable problems, every worthwhile 
effort requires collaboration and partnering among organizations to 
resolve the issue we see before us in this day and age.
  Education gives people hope and self-respect; it shows them that they 
can succeed by lawful means. The academic and vocational training is a 
critical component of this program especially since research has shown 
that the typical habitual offender is a person of little or no 
education.
  Madam Speaker, approximately 100,000 juveniles (ages 17 years and 
under) leave juvenile correctional facilities, State prison, or Federal 
prison each year. Juveniles released from secure confinement have a 
recidivism rate ranging from 55 to 75 percent. Even more, research has 
shown that the likelihood that young people will successfully 
transition into society increases with effective reentry and aftercare 
programs.
  Taking a comprehensive approach is the only pragmatic solution to 
stopping the spread of gang violence. By promoting communal networks, 
this legislation provides opportunities for the community to be 
instrumental in administering programs designed to reduce recidivism 
among ex-gang offenders, and deter gang violence and membership among 
other at risk youths.
  Juvenile delinquency is a complex phenomenon that has riveting 
effects. I firmly believe that this legislation will make significant 
progress in our battle against gang violence because it fully 
incorporates the community in the implementation process.
  Madam Speaker, it takes a network to fight a network. In order to 
provide a realistic, individualized, and creative response to public 
problems, we must design the right network. This legislation offers 
guidelines to determine and develop appropriate activation tools to 
respond to gang violence. I hope this bill would receive the bipartisan 
support that it deserves. I ask for my colleagues' support and urge the 
swift consideration of this bill.

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