    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: William J. Clinton (1998, Book I)]
    [January 12, 1998]
    [Pages 38-40]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Remarks on Ending Drug Use and Drug Availability for Offenders and an
    Exchange With Reporters
    January 12, 1998

        The President. Thank you very much, General. Thank you, Mr. Holder and
    Mr. Vice President. Ladies and gentlemen,
    this country's eternal quest for a more perfect Union has always
    succeeded when we're able to apply our enduring values to a new set of
    challenges. That is what we try to do around here every year. Over the
    past 5 years, we've done our best to bring the values of personal
    responsibility, community, and respect for the law to bear on the fight
    against crime. We've sought to be tough and smart, to punish criminals,
    and to prevent crime. We've put more police on the streets and taken
    criminals, guns, and drugs off the streets. Crime rates have dropped
    steadily for the last 5 years. Drug use has fallen by half since its
    peak 15 years ago. Teen drug use is leveling off and, indeed, may well
    be decreasing again. But we're a long way from my vision of a drug-free
    America.
        Fighting drugs in our prisons and among prisoners is absolutely
    critical, ultimately, to keeping drugs off the streets and away from our
    children. Of all the consequences of drug use and abuse, none is more
    destructive and apparent than its impact on crime. Too many drug users
    are committing crimes to feed their habit. More than half of the cocaine
    that is sold in our country is consumed by someone on parole or
    probation. Four out of five inmates in State and Federal prisons were
    either high at the time they committed their crimes, stole property to
    buy drugs, violated drug or alcohol laws, or have a long history of drug
    or alcohol abuse. Parolees who stay on drugs are much more likely to
    commit crimes that will send them back to jail.
        We have to break this vicious cycle. Common sense tells us that the
    best way to break the cycle between drugs and criminal activity is to
    break the drug habits of the prisoners. That's why we have made coerced
    abstinence, requiring inmates to be tested and treated for drugs, a
    vital part of our anti-crime efforts. We've doubled the number of
    Federal arrestees who've been tested for drugs, expanded testing among
    inmates and parolees, and tripled the number of inmates receiving drug
    treatment. To inmates we say, if you stay on drugs, then you'll have to
    stay in jail. To parolees we say, if you want to keep your freedom, you
    have to stay free of drugs.
        Last year, I worked for and signed a bill that requires States to
    test all prisoners and parolees for drugs before they can receive
    Federal prison funds.
        Today I'm directing the Attorney General to strengthen this effort
    by taking necessary steps to achieve three goals. First, we have to help
    the States expand drug detection, offender testing, and drug treatment
    in their prisons by making it possible for them to use Federal funds for
    these purposes. Second, we have to help States get even tougher on drug
    trafficking in prisons by enacting stiffer penalties for anyone who
    smuggles drugs into prison. Finally, we have to insist that all States
    find out how many of their prisoners are actually using drugs so that
    every year they can chart their progress in keeping drugs out of prisons
    and away from prisoners.
        The balanced budget I'm sending to Congress later this month will
    continue to strengthen our testing and treatment efforts. We can balance

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    the budget and fight crime and drugs at the same time.
        If we can simply break the chain between drug use and criminal
    activity for people who are under criminal supervision, in prison, or on
    parole--if we could just do that--we can go a very long way toward
    making our streets and our neighborhoods safe for our children again.
    That is what this Executive order is designed to do. I know it can work.
    I have seen the high rates of return from good treatment programs in
    Federal facilities. We can do this at the State and Federal level. If we
    do not do it, we will continue to see people go right back on the
    streets with the drug habits that got them in trouble in the first
    place. If we do it, the crime rates will plummet, and the drug problem
    will dramatically shrink.
        Thank you very much. Let me go sign the order.

    [At this point, the President signed the memorandum.]

    Asian Economies

        Q. Mr. President, what do you hear about the Asian--[inaudible]----
        Q. Mr. President, what do you say about Iraq's--[inaudible]----
        The President. I'll take them both. On the Asian issue, I received a
    briefing this morning from Secretary Rubin
    and Secretary Albright, and I've
    obviously kept in touch with it; I do daily. We are working hard on it.
    I want to emphasize that the most important thing that has to be done is
    that all the countries affected have to make sure they have the very
    best policies to have good financial institutions, proper practices,
    things that will inspire investor confidence. But these economies have
    enormous productive capacity. They have generated dramatic increases in
    growth for their people, and we can restore stability if the countries
    will take the steps that are necessary. Then the IMF reform packages
    have to be followed. And the rest of us need to be in a position of
    supporting those trends.
        We're following it on a daily basis, and I believe that the path
    we're pursuing is the correct one.

    Situation in Iraq

        Q. Mr. President, what do you think of Iraq's threat to block
    inspections by the American-led team? Are we going back to where we were
    last November? What can we do about this?
        The President. Well, I certainly hope not. Now, of course it hasn't
    happened yet. But I think that it's important to make just a few basic
    points here.
        Number one, if Saddam Hussein does this,
    it is a clear and serious violation of the United Nations Security
    Council resolution.
        Number two, the United States had nothing whatever to do with
    selecting this team, the people on it, or its composition. The team
    that's there is part of a larger team of people, 43 people from 16
    different countries. There are a substantial number of Americans on this
    team. They were picked by the person who is in charge of the inspection
    process because of their technical expertise. Everyone who goes there
    should be technically qualified, and the United States has not attempted
    to influence the composition of the people on the teams. But certainly
    Saddam Hussein shouldn't be able to pick and choose who does this work.
    That's for the United Nations to decide.
        If they are denied the right to do their job tomorrow, then I expect
    the United Nations Security Council to take strong and appropriate
    action.

    Sexual Offender Tracking System

        Q. Mr. President, a few years ago you set into motion the Pam
    Lychner Sexual Offender Tracking and Identification Act, that you wanted
    all 50 States to centralize their sexual offender records. Less than
    half the States and the District are into that interim computer system
    which is eventually going to lead to a permanent system, which caused
    you to sign--to send a letter to the Governors to get them off the dime.
        How do you look at that effort now, when you think that sexual
    offenders may be falling through the cracks and only half the States are
    on board?
        The President. Well, I think the letter I sent says it all. The
    truth is that the stakes here are quite high, and we have the ability,
    through technology, to centralize these records to get the job done. I
    know it requires some cost and some effort on the part of the States.
    We're having a similar problem with fewer States in the child support
    area, trying to centralize records there so we can interconnect the
    systems. And I know this is difficult, but it has

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    to be done. And if it is done, we can make the country much safer.
        So we'll keep pushing them. And I think most of the States, probably
    all of them, really want to do it. They know it's the right thing to do,
    and they just need to put somebody on it in each State capital and make
    it a priority. It can be done.

    Legislative Initiatives

        Q. Mr. President, there's a Republican proposal to pay for 100,000
    new teachers. What do you think of that, and why haven't you proposed
    that yourself?
        The President. Well, I have lots of proposals for the State of the
    Union that haven't been made yet. You don't know what I'm going to
    propose.
        Q. [Inaudible]--about raising the minimum wage?
        The President. What I hope we will be able to do in this session of
    Congress is to make education a national issue. It would please me if it
    could be a nonpartisan issue. We fought awfully hard and finally
    succeeded in getting the Congress to agree that we ought to go forward
    with national standards and testing to see whether our children are
    meeting those standards. I hope we can reenergize that movement and do a
    lot of other things in this coming session of Congress for education
    reform. And I'm looking forward to it.
        I have, some weeks ago, signed off on a very ambitious agenda, only
    part of which has been revealed. We'll just keep working at it. And then
    I'll work with the Congress, and, whatever ideas they have, we'll be
    glad to get together and work with them.

    Note: The President spoke at 2:39 p.m. in the Oval Office at the White
    House. In his remarks, he referred to Office of National Drug Control
    Policy Director Barry R. McCaffrey; Deputy Attorney General Eric H.
    Holder, Jr.; and President Saddam Hussein of Iraq.