[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.

                          ____________________