The Congressional Record is a unique source of public documentation. It started in 1873, documenting nearly all the major and minor policies being discussed and debated.
“WILLIAM BENNETT” mentioning the U.S. Dept. of Justice was published in the House of Representatives section on pages H8799 on Oct. 7, 2005.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
WILLIAM BENNETT
(Ms. WATSON asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 minute.)
Ms. WATSON. Madam Speaker, during a recent radio broadcast, conservative critic William Bennett said the following: ``If you wanted to reduce crime, you could abort every black baby in this country and your crime rate would go down.''
But Mr. Bennett's hypothesis, as absurd and racist as it is, does not tell the real story.
According to the Department of Justice national crime statistics of men and women behind bars, approximately 43 percent are black, 38 percent are white, and 19 percent are Hispanic. Whites, however, make up 70 percent of all persons arrested, and 60 percent of those are arrested for violent crime.
So why the disparity between whites arrested and whites convicted? Could it have to do with the fact that poorer defendants, often people of color, are more likely to receive substandard legal representation and harsher sentences?
Madam Speaker, getting justice in America seems to have a lot more to do with the color of your skin and the color of the green in your pocket. Now, that is not virtuous.
____________________
