    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: William J. Clinton (1996, Book II)]
    [September 30, 1996]
    [Pages 1732-1733]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Message to the Senate Transmitting the Inter-American Convention on
    Serving Criminal Sentences Abroad
    September 30, 1996

    To the Senate of the United States:
        With a view to receiving the advice and consent of the Senate to
    ratification, I transmit herewith the Inter-American Convention on
    Serving Criminal Sentences Abroad, drawn up by the Committee on
    Juridical and Political Affairs within the Permanent Council of the
    Organization of American States (OAS) and composed of representatives of
    the Member States. The Convention was adopted and opened for signature
    at the twenty-third regular session of the General Assembly meeting in
    Managua, Nicaragua, on June 9, 1993, and signed on behalf of the United
    States at the OAS Headquarters in Washington on January 10, 1995. The
    provisions of the Convention are explained in the report of the
    Department of State that accompanies this message.
        Although the United States is already a party to the multilateral
    Council of Europe Convention on the Transfer of Sentenced Persons, which
    entered into force for the United States, following Senate advice and
    consent to ratification, on July 1, 1985, only two other OAS Member
    States have become parties to that Convention. Ratification of the
    Inter-American Convention on Serving Criminal Sentences Abroad would
    help fill a void by providing a mechanism for the reciprocal transfer of
    persons incarcerated in prisons in OAS Member States, to permit those
    individuals to serve their sentences in their home countries. A
    multilateral prisoner transfer convention for the Americas would also

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    reduce, if not eliminate, the need for the United States to negotiate
    additional bilateral prisoner transfer treaties with countries in the
    hemisphere.
        I recommend that the Senate promptly give its advice and consent to
    the ratification of this Convention, subject to an understanding and a
    reservation that are described in the accompanying State Department
    report.

                                                          William J. Clinton

    The White House,

    September 30, 1996.

    Note: This message was released by the Office of the Press Secretary on
    October 1.