[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 50 (Tuesday, April 1, 2008)]
[House]
[Pages H1854-H1857]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
ESTABLISHING MARCH 2008 AS NATIONAL CRIMINAL JUSTICE MONTH
Mr. CONYERS. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to
the resolution (H. Res. 945) raising awareness and promoting education
on the criminal justice system by establishing March 2008 as ``National
Criminal Justice Month''.
The Clerk read the title of the resolution.
The text of the resolution is as follows:
H. Res. 945
Whereas there are approximately three million Americans
employed within the justice system;
Whereas approximately seven million adults are on
probation, parole, or are incarcerated;
Whereas millions of Americans have been victims of crime
and, consequently, lost income, incurred medical expenses,
and suffered emotionally;
Whereas the cost of crime to individuals, communities,
businesses, and the various levels of government exceeds the
billions of dollars spent each year in administering the
criminal justice system;
Whereas, in 2006, fifty percent of Americans admitted they
fear that their home would be burglarized when they are not
home; thirty-four percent of American women feared that they
would be sexually assaulted; and forty-four percent of
Americans feared they would be a victim of a terrorist
attack;
[[Page H1855]]
Whereas approximately thirty-five percent of Americans have
very little or no confidence in the criminal justice system
and the negative effects of crime in regard to confidence in
governmental agencies and overall social stability are
immeasurable;
Whereas crime rates have dropped since the early 1990s, but
most Americans believe that the rate of crime is increasing;
Whereas Federal, State, and local governments increased
their spending for police protection, corrections, judicial,
and legal activities in fiscal year 2005 by 5.5 percent or
$204 billion; and
Whereas there is a need to educate Americans and to promote
awareness within American society as to the causes and
consequences of crime, as well as the strategies and
developments for preventing and responding to crime: Now,
therefore, be it
Resolved, That--
(1) it is the sense of the House of Representatives that--
(A) National Criminal Justice Month provides an opportunity
to educate Americans on the criminal justice system; and
(B) Americans should be aware of the causes and
consequences of crime, how to prevent crime, and how to
respond to crime; and
(2) the House of Representatives urges policymakers,
criminal justice officials, educators, victim service
providers, nonprofits, community leaders, and others to
promote awareness of how to prevent and respond to crime
through National Criminal Justice Month.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from
Michigan (Mr. Conyers) and the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Gohmert) each
will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Michigan.
General Leave
Mr. CONYERS. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members
have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include
extraneous material.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from Michigan?
There was no objection.
Mr. CONYERS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, Members of the House, the measure before us calls
attention to a critically important issue, the state of our Nation's
criminal justice system. We do this by designating March as National
Criminal Justice Month, because it will serve to raise awareness of the
causes and consequences of crime, as well as our crime prevention
efforts. It is a subject and an area that, for too long, we have not
paid close attention to, and it is our feeling that this designation
will have a great impact upon our work.
Millions of Americans have been victimized by crimes, and many
millions more pass through our criminal justice system. We have more
than 2 million Americans behind bars, I am sad to say. This means that
almost one out of every 100 Americans is incarcerated. Among African
American men between the ages of 20 and 34, one in nine are behind
bars. What a tragedy. What a waste of human life and potential.
The New York Times observed, ``We have become a prison nation.''
[From the New York Times, Mar. 10, 2008]
Prison Nation
After three decades of explosive growth, the nation's
prison population has reached some grim milestones: More than
1 in 100 American adults are behind bars. One in nine black
men, ages 20 to 34, are serving time, as are 1 in 36 adult
Hispanic men.
Nationwide, the prison population hovers at almost 1.6
million, which surpasses all other countries for which there
are reliable figures. The 50 states last year spent about $44
billion in tax dollars on corrections, up from nearly $11
billion in 1987. Vermont, Connecticut, Delaware, Michigan and
Oregon devote as much money or more to corrections as they do
to higher education.
These statistics, contained in a new report from the Pew
Center on the States, point to a terrible waste of money and
lives. They underscore the urgent challenge facing the
federal government and cash-strapped states to reduce their
overreliance on incarceration without sacrificing public
safety. The key, as some states are learning, is getting
smarter about distinguishing between violent criminals and
dangerous repeat offenders, who need a prison cell, and low-
risk offenders, who can be handled with effective community
supervision, electronic monitoring and mandatory drug
treatment programs, combined in some cases with shorter
sentences.
Persuading public officials to adopt a more rational, cost-
effective approach to prison policy is a daunting prospect,
however, not least because building and running jailhouses
has become a major industry.
Criminal behavior partly explains the size of the prison
population, but incarceration rates have continued to rise
while crime rates have fallen. Any effort to reduce the
prison population must consider the blunderbuss impact of
get-tough sentencing laws adopted across the United States
beginning in the 1970's. Many Americans have come to believe,
wrongly, that keeping an outsized chunk of the population
locked up is essential for sustaining a historic crime drop
since the 1990's.
In fact, the relationship between imprisonment and crime
control is murky. Some portion of the decline is attributable
to tough sentencing and release policies. But crime is also
affected by things like economic trends and employment and
drug-abuse rates. States that lagged behind the national
average in rising incarceration rates during the 1990's
actually experienced a steeper decline in crime rates than
states above the national average, according to the
Sentencing Project, a nonprofit group.
A rising number of states are broadening their criminal
sanctions with new options for low-risk offenders that are a
lot cheaper than incarceration but still protect the public
and hold offenders accountable. In New York, the crime rate
has continued to drop despite efforts to reduce the number of
nonviolent drug offenders in prison.
The Pew report spotlights policy changes in Texas and
Kansas that have started to reduce their outsized prison
populations and address recidivism by investing in ways to
improve the success rates for community supervision,
expanding treatment and diversion programs, and increasing
use of sanctions other than prison for minor parole and
probation violations. Recently, the Supreme Court and the
United States Sentencing Commission announced sensible
changes in the application of harsh mandatory minimum drug
sentences.
These are signs that the country may finally be waking up
to the fiscal and moral costs of bulging prisons.
Each year, we on all of our criminal justice systems spend more than
$200 billion. The Pew Center Report states that Connecticut, Delaware,
my own State of Michigan, Oregon, and Vermont spend as much or more
money on corrections as they do on higher education. I think this is a
disgraceful circumstance, and the policies of simply incarcerating
increasing numbers of Americans without real opportunities for
rehabilitation fail those who go through the criminal justice system,
but, more than that, it hurts and diminishes every American.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
{time} 1445
Mr. GOHMERT. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
I appreciate Mr. Conyers, chairman of the Judiciary Committee, for
whom I have great respect. This bill was on the calendar to take up in
weeks past, but it was pulled a number of times, resulting in it being
taken up at this time. We are grateful that it has been allowed to come
to the floor.
I rise in support of House Resolution 945, and I want to commend my
good friend and fellow Texan, and also fellow recovering judge, Ted
Poe, the original sponsor of this legislation, for his dedication and
commitment to the issue of criminal justice.
The goal of this resolution is to raise awareness and promote
education of the criminal justice system by establishing March as the
National Criminal Justice Month. It is important that Congress
encourages Americans to learn more about the criminal justice system,
and the approximately 3 million Americans who work within the system.
As a former prosecutor, judge and chief justice, I have been honored
to be involved with some of our Nation's best who work in the criminal
justice system for some time. Throughout that experience, I have been
consistently impressed with the professionalism and the ability of the
public servants who work in the field of criminal justice. These brave
and dedicated Americans work every day to make our country safe for
ourselves and for our families.
Further, it is important to recognize the gains that have been made
in combating crime across the Nation. Crime rates began dropping within
the last 20 years as more tools were given to law enforcement and the
more dangerous criminals have been locked up for longer periods of
time, though there are some who are working to reverse that decade-long
trend.
I have great respect, as I said, for the Judiciary Committee
chairman, who mentioned the reference to this being called a prison
nation; and it is tragic that we have so many people who are locked up.
I must say that one of the things that concerned me and drove me from
the bench were having an increasing number of people who ended up in
the criminal justice system before me as a district judge, having
allegedly committed felonies, and in the cases I
[[Page H1856]]
am talking about where they admitted them, told about their background,
had testimony about it in court, but it began to break my heart.
Back in the 1960s, we had legislation called The Great Society
legislation that was well intentioned. There were single mothers that
were seen to be trying to survive with only a deadbeat father to help.
And the Federal Government looked, saw the need and said let's help
these people. They began giving checks to women for each child born out
of wedlock. And I began having more and more young mothers, some older
mothers, who would have a child out of wedlock, many times encouraged
to do so by people they respected and loved, and they found out rather
quickly that check will not allow the individual to live a decent
living and take care of the child. So they would have another child,
thinking that two checks would help, and then three.
It broke my heart that our Federal Government had lured people into a
rut and not given them a way out. So it is important that we be careful
in considering legislation that we pass. Of course, everybody has to be
responsible for their own actions, but the legislation we pass is
important, and I think it is wonderful that my friend, Mr. Poe, has
sponsored this legislation, and that our chairman, Mr. Conyers, has
encouraged this and supported it, in establishing March as the National
Criminal Justice Month.
Congress will provide an opportunity now to educate Americans through
this designation about the criminal justice system, and will make
Americans more aware of causes and consequences of crime, as well as
how to prevent crime and how to respond to crime. This resolution will
also recognize and applaud the efforts of law enforcement officials,
judges, court staff, and the many probation and parole officers who
work with offenders to help them reintegrate into the community. Those
are all important positions. We appreciate them all. I urge my
colleagues to support the resolution.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. CONYERS. Mr. Speaker, I only have a little bit more to add, and
so I yield myself a little more time.
This measure is a good one even though it comes a little late. Some
may have noticed that this is for a celebration in March, and this is
April. The reason is that we couldn't get it on the schedule before
now, but there were many celebrations in connection with this matter
that occurred.
I want to commend the judge and distinguished member of the Judiciary
Committee from Texas who is managing the bill for his personal comments
that he has brought to this matter today. I can imagine the kinds of
things that not only him but members of the judiciary across this
country are seeing, heartbreaking incidents, circumstances and
experiences.
There are so many people that are incarcerated, they are in prison
because of nonviolent offenses, of sentencing procedures that are
really out of the hands of the court. People think of the unlimited
powers of the judiciary. Many times they are restricted in terms of
what it is they can do and how they can handle the matters that come
before their courts.
I am impressed that our colleague would tell us of some of the things
that move him in his experience in the judiciary. Now I don't want to
think that he was driven from the judiciary to the Congress because
that is like jumping out of the frying pan into the fire; but I am
happy that he serves on the committee with great distinction, and we
always are pleased to be able to work together on these kinds of
matters.
In that spirit, I urge the support of H. Res. 945.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. GOHMERT. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as the right honorable
Judge Poe may consume.
Mr. POE. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the gentleman for yielding, and
I also want to thank the chairman for moving this piece of legislation.
I introduced this legislation to declare March as National Criminal
Justice Month, and the purpose is to educate Americans on how important
our justice system is and encourage discussion on how to prevent and
respond to criminal conduct.
Our criminal justice system employs over 3 million Americans at the
local, State and Federal levels of the government. And the word and the
emphasis should be on the phrase ``justice system'' because it involves
the cooperation of law enforcement and prosecutors, courts,
correctional officers, and many other persons.
In my former life, I spent 8 years as a prosecutor in the Houston
area, and then I spent 22 years on the criminal court bench in Houston,
hearing over 25,000 felony cases.
When I came to Washington, D.C., I established the bipartisan Victims
Rights Caucus to advocate on behalf of crime victims and law
enforcement. It is apparent to me that victims need a voice in
Congress. They don't have high paid and high-dollar lobbyists; they
expect Members of Congress to be their advocates.
Each year, millions of Americans become victims of criminal conduct,
everything from stealing to homicide, and these individuals do not
choose to become victims. They are thrown into the criminal justice
system without ever having a say. The devastating consequences of crime
remain with the victims long after the crime is over with; and the
purpose of the criminal justice system is to provide closure for
victims and punish people who commit crimes against the rule of law,
which is society's rules of law.
I hope this resolution encourages communities to discuss the causes
and the consequences and long-term effects of criminal conduct. When a
crime occurs, a community must respond by apprehending the individual
and ensuring appropriate punishment if that person is found guilty,
and, of course, helping the victim that is in need.
According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics, 35 percent of
Americans have little or no confidence in our criminal justice system.
It is unfortunate that one-third of the people in this country feel
that way. If you turn on your local news each night, the first thing
that most local newscasts have is the latest crime that has been
committed in a neighborhood. It is mostly bad news, and much of that
bad news is about criminal conduct. Americans should have more
confidence in our criminal justice system. I am convinced that our
criminal justice system is the best system in the world.
I had the opportunity to visit the former Soviet Union. They don't
have a criminal justice system. They just have a system. The same is
true with China, when I visited their system on how they administer
their laws. There is no justice in that system. It is just a system.
And here in the United States, we do have the best criminal justice
system in the world on determining the guilt of an individual and
giving defendants and victims of crime certain rights in the court, and
maintaining the worth of the individual. Every year individuals,
communities, businesses, and all levels of government spend millions
and billions of dollars administering our justice system. The cost of
crime is not cheap, and the aftermath of crime is not cheap either. Yet
the price is worth it because of the price we pay to ensure our order,
safety and appropriate punishment for those who fail to follow our
laws.
As my fellow Texan and former judge, Judge Gohmert, has mentioned
time and time again, there are numerous cases where we both have seen
individuals who have come to the criminal justice system that have been
victims of criminal conduct. And long after that trial is over with,
even if the offender is convicted and sent to the Texas penitentiary
for the maximum period of time, they suffer the repercussions of
criminal conduct. Many of them are never able to cope with that
conduct, and spend the rest of their lives in desperate hope, and
wishing that crime had not occurred against them.
We as Americans need to be sensitive to those individuals. We need to
be sensitive to the people who live among us who have crime committed
against them.
So I hope this resolution gets more communities talking about the
best way to prevent and respond to crime, and I want to urge its
adoption.
Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.
Res. 945, raising awareness and promoting education on the criminal
justice system by establishing March
[[Page H1857]]
2008 as ``National Criminal Justice Month,'' introduced by my
distinguished colleague from Texas, Representative Ted Poe. This
important legislation calls on policymakers, educators, criminal
justice officials, community leaders, victim service providers,
nonprofits, and others to promote awareness of how to prevent and
respond to crime through the creation of a National Criminal Justice
Month.
A country's criminal justice system is often a reflection of what
values the society deems to be important. Our criminal justice system
serves as a means for society to enforce the standards of conduct
necessary to protect individuals and the community. During this month
we need to be mindful of the need for criminal justice reform.
Currently, there are approximately seven million adults on probation,
parole, or are incarcerated causing the cost of crime to individuals,
communities, businesses, and the various levels of government to be
well into the billions. I have sought to alleviate a number of the
sentencing disparities responsible for such frivolous government
spending through various pieces of legislation, including my ``The
Second Chance Act'' and ``The Drug Sentencing Reform and Cocaine
Kingpin Trafficking Act of 2007'' that will help to lessen some of the
economic and social burden. Our focus should be to educate Americans
and to promote awareness within American society as to the causes and
consequences of crime, as well as the strategies and developments for
preventing and responding to crime.
The American people deserve to have a knowledge of the criminal
justice system; thus, allowing society to feel safe in their homes as
well as on the streets. In 2006, fifty percent of Americans admitted
they feared that their home would be burglarized when they are not
home, thirty-four percent of American women feared that they would be
sexually assaulted, and forty-four percent of Americans feared they
would be a victim of a terrorist attack. That is unacceptable.
Americans need to be educated about the criminal justice system and how
it works to protect all Americans.
During this month there has to be a joint effort between
policymakers, criminal justice officials, educators, victim service
providers, nonprofit organizations, community leaders, and others to
promote awareness of how to prevent and respond to crime. It is
imperative that we reach out through all the above names avenues to
ensure that each and every American knows just how their criminal
justice system operations protect them.
This important legislation creates an avenue through which to educate
the American people about the criminal justice system as well as the
causes and consequences of crime, how to prevent crime, and how to
respond to crime. I strongly support this important legislation and
urge all my colleagues to do the same.
Mr. GOHMERT. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. CONYERS. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the
gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Conyers) that the House suspend the rules
and agree to the resolution, H. Res. 945.
The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the
rules were suspended and the resolution was agreed to.
A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.
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