[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 161 (2015), Part 7]
[House]
[Page 9654]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                        CRIMINAL JUSTICE REFORM

  (Ms. JACKSON LEE asked and was given permission to address the House 
for 1 minute.)
  Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, as we rally around the obvious in the 
need for criminal justice reform and, in essence, the rehabilitation of 
our criminal justice laws as we deal with the interaction of law 
enforcement and civilians, having a pathway for respect for both, one 
of the most forgotten aspects is dealing with the treatment of 
juveniles in the criminal justice system.
  I intend, over the next couple of weeks, to introduce a series of 
legislative initiatives that address that form of the criminal justice 
system, which we find, as parents and family members, touches all 
juveniles.
  One of the things that the bill recognizes is that a young person's 
brain is still developing into his or her early twenties, and that 
those who commit crimes before this point should be treated differently 
by the criminal justice system.
  The purpose of this effort is to improve the treatment of young 
offenders within the Federal criminal justice system and to put them on 
a path toward successful reentry by providing options for the 
sentencing judges: a safety valve for young offenders which would, in 
essence, break through the mandatory minimum; an early release for 
young offenders; and, particularly, alternatives such as massive use of 
home arrest.
  Our children are our future. They get on the wrong path. Let's not 
celebrate that wrong path and force them to live that wrong path. Let's 
save their lives.

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