[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 155 (2009), Part 5]
[House]
[Pages 6378-6380]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                    NATIONAL CRIMINAL JUSTICE MONTH

  Ms. ZOE LOFGREN of California. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the 
rules and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 45) raising awareness and 
promoting education on the criminal justice system by establishing 
March as ``National Criminal Justice Month''.
  The Clerk read the title of the resolution.
  The text of the resolution is as follows:

                               H. Res. 45

       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;
       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 gentlewoman from 
California (Ms. Zoe Lofgren) and the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Poe) 
each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from California.


                             General Leave

  Ms. ZOE LOFGREN of California. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent 
that all Members have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their 
remarks and include extraneous material on the resolution under 
consideration.

[[Page 6379]]

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentlewoman from California?
  There was no objection.
  Ms. ZOE LOFGREN of California. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time 
as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I would like to commend Congressman Ted Poe of Texas for 
introducing this legislation.
  Establishing March 2009 as National Criminal Justice Month will help 
increase awareness of the harmful effects of crime, not only on the 
immediate victims, but on our society as a whole. It will also help 
bring public focus on the need to make our criminal justice system as 
effective as possible, not only in responding to crime, but in helping 
to reduce its incidence.
  Millions of Americans have been victimized by crime. Millions more 
are on parole, on probation, or incarcerated. And our Nation spends 
billions of dollars each year on efforts to address crime. And yet too 
many Americans say they have little confidence in the criminal justice 
system.
  There are a number of steps we can take to address this lack of 
confidence. For one, we could invest more resources in education. 
Educated Americans not only have more opportunities, they also have a 
greater appreciation of the effects they have on the world around them, 
and they certainly have a much dramatically lower incidence of criminal 
behavior.
  By failing to invest in education, we have allowed a cradle-to-prison 
pipeline to develop. What we should be building is a cradle-to-college 
pipeline instead. And we see the unfortunate results on any given day, 
over 2\1/2\ million incarcerated in our prisons, almost all of them 
poor, almost two-thirds of them African American or Latino.
  There's another thing we need to do, and that's to focus beyond the 
step of incarceration and to think about rehabilitation, keeping first-
time offenders from becoming repeat offenders. That requires investing 
meaningfully in vocational training, education, counseling and other 
skills development that prisoners need in order to re-enter society and 
become productive citizens.
  Congress took an important step in that direction last year when it 
passed the Second Chance Act. Now we need to follow through with 
adequate funding to make its promises take hold.
  Third, I think it's time we acknowledge the failure of the so-called 
War on Drugs as our government has fought it over the last few decades. 
Increasingly stiffer and stiffer sentences for non-violent drug 
offenses hasn't worked, not to significantly reduce illegal drug use or 
the criminal enterprise that has grown up to feed it. It's worked only 
to swell the prison population.
  It's time that we brought more of the focus on intervention, 
treatment and yes, fact-based education to come to grips with the drug 
problem. The Drug Courts program has been more successful in curtailing 
recidivism because of its focus on treatment. Studies show that those 
sent to Drug Court have a 1-year recidivism rate, only one-sixth as 
high as those sent to prison for a similar offense.
  I believe making this month National Criminal Justice Month can help 
the many in our communities who are dedicating themselves to reducing 
crime bring greater awareness to their efforts.
  I encourage my colleagues to support H. Res. 45 as well.
  I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. POE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  I rise in strong support of this resolution, House Resolution 45. The 
goal of this resolution is to raise awareness and promote education of 
our criminal justice system by establishing March 2009 as National 
Criminal Justice Month.
  It's important to educate Americans about our criminal justice system 
and encourage discussion on how to prevent and respond to criminal 
conduct. That's why this legislation has been introduced.
  As a former prosecutor and judge, I've been involved in the criminal 
justice system for a long time, 8 years as a prosecutor and 22 years as 
a criminal court judge in Houston, Texas. And this resolution will 
encourage communities to discuss the causes, consequences and long-term 
effects of criminal conduct in our country.
  It is important for us to talk about why guilty defendants should 
receive appropriate punishment for their acts, but we should also do 
everything in our power to make sure victims receive the assistance 
that they need. After all, long after the crime is committed, a victim 
still has to face devastating consequences. Sometimes victims are 
sentenced to a life of misery because of the crime that was committed 
against them.
  We have the responsibility to protect the lives of the innocent, and 
to advocate on behalf of crime victims. That is why I've established 
the bipartisan Victims' Rights Caucus, along with my friend, Jim Costa 
from California. The mission of the Caucus is to ensure that victims 
and law enforcement have a voice in Congress.
  Every year, millions of Americans become victims of crime. Those 
crimes range from robbery to homicide. Unfortunately, these people 
don't choose to become victims of crime, but they are picked by someone 
else in our community as prey. And suddenly they are thrust into the 
criminal justice system without having a say.
  Victims of crime have no high-dollar lobbyist in Washington, D.C. 
They look to Members of Congress to advocate on their behalf. And the 
purpose of the system is to provide justice for victims and defendants, 
because the same Constitution that protects defendants of crime 
protects crime victims as well. People who commit crimes against the 
rule of law, which is our society's rule of law, should be held 
accountable for their actions.
  In addition, by establishing March 2009 as National Criminal Justice 
Month, this resolution will also recognize and applaud the efforts of 
law enforcement officials, judges, court staff, and the many probation 
officers throughout the country who work with offenders to help them 
reintegrate into our community.
  Throughout my years of service, I've been impressed with the 
professionalism and dedication of the public servants who work in the 
criminal justice system. These brave and dedicated Americans work every 
day to make our communities a better and safer community, and they work 
with defendants to help them turn their lives around.
  I urge all my colleagues to support this resolution.
  I reserve the balance of my time.
  Ms. ZOE LOFGREN of California. I have no additional speakers, so I 
would continue to reserve if the gentleman has speakers.
  Mr. POE of Texas. I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, 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. And we shouldn't be surprised because that's all 
that they hear when they turn on their local news at night is crime and 
violence. It's mostly bad news about crimes being committed in their 
communities and across the Nation.
  But the reality is that crime rates have dropped dramatically since 
the 1990s. However, because of what people hear and see on the news, 
most Americans believe the crime rate is actually increasing. It is 
important to recognize the gains we have made in combating crime across 
the country, and Americans should have more confidence in this criminal 
justice system.
  Mr. Speaker, I've traveled to multiple countries and observed the way 
their criminal justice system operates. I've been in China, and back in 
the 1980s I was in the former Soviet Union. I would say that neither 
one of those countries has a justice system. They just have a system. 
And our criminal justice system is the best in the world. Not only is 
it unmatched in its ability to determine the guilt of an individual, 
but also in the way it assures the rights of defendants and victims in 
a court of law.
  This resolution will encourage people across America to talk about 
the ways

[[Page 6380]]

to prevent and respond to criminal conduct. And in doing that, it will 
help restore people's faith in the best justice system in the world, 
and that's the one that we have in this country because, Mr. Speaker, 
justice is what we do in this country.
  And that's just the way it is.
  I yield back the balance of my time.
  Ms. ZOE LOFGREN of California. Mr. Speaker, I once again commend the 
gentleman for introducing this legislation. I urge its passage. I share 
his enthusiasm for our system of justice, that preserves the rights of 
the defendant but also elevates the needs of the victims for justice.
  We honor those who work in our system, be they judges, prosecutors, 
defense counsel, police officers, and I would say, yes, also drug 
treatment people who are trying to prevent crime from recurring. So 
this month celebrates those in our community who serve in the criminal 
justice system. They deserve our thanks.
  Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of 
this resolution raising awareness about the criminal justice system and 
crime awareness month. I urge my colleagues to support this important 
bill.
  I find it tragic that approximately three million Americans are 
employed within the justice system. Approximately seven million adults 
are on probation, parole, or are incarcerated. Many more millions of 
Americans have been victims of crime and, consequently, lost income, 
incurred medical expenses, and suffered emotionally.
  To be sure there is a high 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. It is because of this that I have authored innovative 
legislation aimed at addressing these problems. For example, in the 
110th Congress and again in the 111th Congress, I sponsored the Drug 
Sentencing Reform and Cocaine Kingpin Trafficking Act of 2009 which 
addresses the disparity between crack and powder cocaine. The bill is 
presently numbered H.R. 265.
  I also authored H.R. 61, Federal Prison Bureau Nonviolent Offender 
Relief Act of 2009. Importantly, this bill amends the federal criminal 
code to direct the Bureau of Prisons to release prisoners who (1) 
served one half or more of his or her term of imprisonment, (2) 
obtained at least the age of 45; (3) has never been convicted of a 
crime of violence; and (4) has not engaged in any violation of 
institutional disciplinary regulations.
  These two pieces of legislation will go far in addressing the 
problems in the criminal justice system and will go far in educating 
the masses of Americans about the criminal justice system. 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. My bills if passed will decrease 
the amount of money spent on protecting communities and the warehousing 
of prisoners in the industrial prison complex.
  More work needs to be done by Members of Congress. 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.
  What is astonishing is that 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.
  The reality is that crime rates have dropped since the early 1990s, 
but most Americans believe that the rate of crime is increasing. Let me 
share some alarming statistics regarding crime in Houston.

                      Crime Statistics In Houston

       According to Houston Police Department statistics:


                             Violent crimes

       Violent crimes in Houston increased less than 1 percent in 
     2008 compared with 2007.
       Homicides dropped by 16 percent.
       The number of homicides dropped from 353 in 2007 to 295 
     last year.
       Sexual assaults increased more than 8 percent from 2007.
       Aggravated assaults increased at 9.1 percent.


                           Domestic violence

       Of the 1,092 additional aggravated assault cases in 2008, 
     more than half were reports of domestic violence.


                           Nonviolent crimes

       Nonviolent crimes declined more than 10 percent in 2008.
       Property dropped by more than 10 percent.
       Auto thefts decreased last year, dropping more than 21 
     percent to 15,214, down from 19,465 in 2007.

  The bills that I authored are intended to make America a better, 
fairer place, and are intended to assist families and the incarcerated. 
They are smart bills that are aimed at making America a safer place and 
are aimed at lessening the expense of warehousing prisoners and the 
indiscriminate locking up of prisoners. I urge my colleagues to support 
this resolution and the bills that I sponsored.
  Ms. ZOE LOFGREN of California. I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentlewoman from California (Ms. Zoe Lofgren) that the House suspend 
the rules and agree to the resolution, H. Res. 45.
  The question was taken.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds 
being in the affirmative, the ayes have it.
  Mr. POE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.
  The yeas and nays were ordered.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX and the 
Chair's prior announcement, further proceedings on this motion will be 
postponed.

                          ____________________