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“JUVENILE CRIME” mentioning the U.S. Dept. of Justice was published in the Senate section on pages S3972 on May 5, 1997.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
JUVENILE CRIME
Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, a few weeks ago in Nashville, three armed teenage thugs struck the youngest member of my staff with a pistol, robbed, and terrorized him. All three have lengthy juvenile records. Two were convicted of armed robbery at age 14 and served time in a juvenile facility. Last month, over the vehement objection of the prosecutor, both were released early for good behavior. It took these juveniles less than a month to rearm and commit another violent crime.
In Tennessee over the past 4 months, we have had a string of senseless murders which have left Tennesseans in a state of shock, fear, and confusion. One incident, for which arrests have been made, is the tragic story of the four members of the Lillelid family of east Tennessee. They were car-jacked at a rest stop on Interstate 81 and later found executed in a ditch, with multiple gunshot wounds to the head and chest. The mother, father, and 6-year-old daughter all died, while the 2-year-old son was shot twice, but survived. The police have arrested six people in connection to the murders--four adults and two juveniles--all are under 20 years of age.
This pointless tragedy is just one of many recent stories which have riveted the attention of people across Tennessee. The death of Charlie Thoet as he was closing a restaurant just outside of Nashville in January; the murder of Steve Hampton and Sarah Jackson as they were opening another establishment in February; the triple homicide of Robert Santiago, Robert Allen Sewell, and Andrea Brown and the attempted murder of Jose Alfredo Romirez Gonzalez at a fast food restaurant in March; and the most recent incident, the murders of Michelle Mace and Angela Holmes at an ice cream shop just last week, have left many across Tennessee questioning our society and its lack of respect for human life. All of these victims were hard working people with families and friends, hopes and dreams whose lives were brought to an end in a brutal, violent, senseless fashion.
Mr. President, I want to be very clear that in no way do I mean to suggest that all of these unsolved murders were caused by juveniles. However, the two cases first mentioned were cases with juvenile and very young adult offenders. And violent juvenile crime is growing across this country. From 1985 to 1994 arrest of juveniles for all serious violent offenses increased 75 percent; arrest for homicides increased 150 percent; and arrests of juveniles for weapon possession increased 103 percent. These statistics coupled with the fact that there will be a large increase in the number of juveniles early in the next century--by 2005 the number of males 14-17 will increase 25 percent--means that we are about to face a crime epidemic the likes of which this country has never experienced. The Justice Department estimates that in the next 13 years juvenile arrests for violence crimes will more than double and juvenile arrests for murder will increase by 45 percent.
So what do we do? Currently, less than 10 percent of juvenile offenders commit far greater than half of all juvenile crimes. Rather than adopt a shotgun approach, we need to focus our efforts to make it harder for this small portion of the population to continually commit crimes. In addition, it has been proven time and time again that adult repeat offenders often begin as juvenile repeat offenders and that the severity of the crimes only increase. We must interrupt the cycle of violence while the offender is still a juvenile.
I believe that the most important step we can take is make sure that these young people understand that there are consequences for their actions. In Tennessee, usually a juvenile will have been convicted of three crimes before he or she is considered for juvenile detection. I think we all realize that if these kids are caught doing something 3 times then that means they have probably done it closer to 20 times. I believe that a vital element in deterring crime is the certainty of punishment for first and second offenses. Juvenile offenders must know for certain that they are responsible and will be held accountable for their actions.
Criminals must also serve their entire sentence. If the teenagers, who attacked my staffer a few weeks ago, had served their full sentences, then that crime would never have happened. We do not have enough resources to capture and arrest every criminal several times. Once our police officers have put their lives on the line to catch a criminal, and our overworked, underpaid prosecutors have obtained a conviction, it is inexcusable for that criminal not to serve his or her full sentence.
There are other steps we can take to make sure it is easier for law enforcement and the courts to send a strong message to juvenile offenders. Most Americans would probably be surprised to learn that in most areas juveniles are not fingerprinted and their record of violent crimes are not weighed at all in adult criminal proceedings. They may also not be aware that in most States there is a minimum age for a juvenile to be bound over to adult court.
Crime, especially juvenile crime, is a problem for which our entire community must find the solution. Parents, teachers, law enforcement, judges, social services, and, yes, the business community as well, must play integral roles. I am very interested in a new project just getting underway in Memphis, TN, which will do just that. The Shelby County Tennessee Juvenile Offender Transition Program is an innovative new plan for a supervised, independent living center for juvenile offenders aimed at reducing recidivism and assisting youth to obtain the skills necessary to break the cycle of crime and to make the transition into a productive adulthood. The program includes education and vocational training requirements tailored to each participant, coupled with a highly structured mentoring program with area universities and a business sponsorship which includes part-time employment during the program with the prospect of employment after completion of the program or tuition reimbursement for continued education. The juveniles have to serve their entire sentence, but this program will give the juvenile court an alternative to sending these young people back to the neighborhoods and the problems where we know they will only get in trouble again and end up back in our courts and our prisons. It is not the solution to all of the problems we face with juvenile crime, but this is an innovative, new approach to assist some of our young people, those who we might be able to help, in making a positive change. The program calls on all aspects of our communities to find solutions and I believe that these efforts deserve our support.
Mr. President, I believe that it is time to take a long hard look at the areas I have highlighted and consider long overdue reforms to the juvenile justice system. There is consensus on several issues from both Republican and Democrats, and therefore, I think it is time for the U.S. Senate to address this most pressing concern of the American people.
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