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.
“PENNSYLVANIA ANTI-CRIME AND YOUTH INITIATIVE” mentioning the U.S. Dept. of Justice was published in the Senate section on pages S2888-S2889 on March 8, 2007.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
PENNSYLVANIA ANTI-CRIME AND YOUTH INITIATIVE
Mr. SPECTER. Mr. President, youth violence is an enormous problem across America, including Pennsylvania. Regrettably, the city of Philadelphia had more homicides last year than any major city.
This is a problem that has been present in major American cities, and Philadelphia specifically, since the days when I was Philadelphia's district attorney. A great number of those homicides are related to youth violence.
On January 19 of this year, I convened a meeting that was attended by Mayor John Street; District Attorney Abraham; U.S. Attorney Pat Meehan; and representatives of Governor Rendell, with whom I discussed the matter specifically. There was a followup hearing attended by Senator Casey and myself on February 19, where we addressed the subject with a focus on trying to find mentors for these at-risk youth.
We are searching for long-range solutions to the crime problem, the underlying causes of crime--which is obviously very complicated and very long term--such as education, training, job training, decent housing, and a whole host of factors that lead to crime. It is a matter I have been working on for decades, since my days as an assistant district attorney in Philadelphia. Regrettably, we don't seem to be much further along on attacking those underlying causes of crime, or dealing with the problems of criminal recidivism, after people are released from jail. It is no surprise that if we release a functional illiterate from jail, they will go back to a crime of violence. Without being able to read or write and not having job training, there is a very high degree of recidivism. We are trying to push the so-called second offender law to give people rehabilitation after the first offense.
Senator Casey and I believe that addresses the issue in the short term, but it is not the answer, because there is no absolute answer. However, short-term help could be provided if we could find mentors to team up with at-risk youth on an individual basis. Many of these at-
risk youth come from broken homes and have no parental guidance. If there could be a mentor, or ``substitute parent,'' in the short term, I think that could be helpful.
We have also worked with the superintendent of schools of Philadelphia, on some ideas he has about trying to give motivation to high school students, to put them on a path of going to college. We are working to have some early determination from the many colleges and universities in the Philadelphia area, to try to encourage these young people to be motivated to finish high school with the prospect of college.
Regarding the mentoring program, we are asking the universities also to see if they can provide mentors from their student body or faculty and, in the case of students, to give them course credit. We reached out to the athletic teams in Philadelphia, including the 76ers, the Eagles, and efforts are being made to include the Philadelphia Phillies as well, because it is well known that young people are interested in role models and might be willing to follow that lead.
We have also moved forward on trying to improve the situation in the city of Reading, which has been designated as the 21st most violent city in the United States. Toward that end, on February 23, with the cooperation of one of Reading's leading citizens, Al Boscov, we convened a meeting with the U.S. Attorney's Office, the FBI, the Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, the Drug Enforcement Agency, the State police, the local chief of police, the local sheriff, the school superintendent, and with citizens to again look at the crime problem. We intend to follow up in Reading to try to get additional personnel to assist that city, because it is, as I said, the 21st most dangerous city in the United States.
We have similar meetings planned for Lancaster and York next Monday, on the 12th. We also intend to go to Allentown and other cities. In Pittsburgh, we plan to convene a meeting on April 5, looking for ways to bring more Federal resources to bear on this crime problem. We are looking to the upcoming budget to try to provide more funds, similar to the $2.5 million grant we obtained for the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania to service the corridor from the Lehigh Valley through Reading and through Lancaster.
I ask unanimous consent that a statement be printed, with understanding that there will be some repetition in the written statement of what I have presented extemporaneously.
There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in the Record, as follows:
Senator Arlen Specter--Pennsylvania Anti-Crime and Youth Violence
Initiative
Mr. SPECTER. Mr. President, I seek recognition to discuss my recent efforts to address the crime and youth violence issues facing cities in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Pennsylvania is making great strides in revitalizing its cities through economic and community development. Unfortunately, the same cities that are investing substantial human and economic capital in revitalization efforts are also facing increased levels of crime. For example, Philadelphia had the highest homicide rate of all large cities in the United States in 2006--406 murders in one year. The smaller city of Reading was ranked as the 21st most dangerous in the Nation, and the most dangerous city in the state of Pennsylvania. Cities across the state are experiencing disturbingly high levels of youth involvement in crime and gangs--an average of 15 young people between the ages of 10 and 24 are murdered every day in the state of Pennsylvania. The cost of crime to victims, neighborhoods, and communities across America is staggering: at a September 19, 2006 Senate Judiciary Committee hearing, economist Jens Ludwig estimated that the pecuniary and non-pecuniary costs of crime amounted to approximately $2 trillion nationwide per year, or 17 percent of the GDP.
I have sought to examine the nature of crime and youth violence in cities across Pennsylvania by convening stakeholder meetings among Federal, State and local elected officials and leaders in the fields of law enforcement and crime prevention. These meetings have provided an avenue for understanding the nature of local problems, provided a constructive forum for discussing ongoing law enforcement and prevention efforts designed to combat these problems, and created an opportunity to discuss ideas for innovative solutions moving forward.
On January 19, I held a roundtable discussion in Philadelphia at which Mayor John Street, District Attorney Lynne Abraham, United States Attorney Pat Meehan, Philadelphia School District Chief Executive Officer Paul Vallas, and other leaders in the community discussed innovative solutions to the youth violence problem in the city of Philadelphia. We discussed the idea of bolstering mentoring efforts in the city of Philadelphia--an approach I find very promising. Research shows that children with the positive influence of an adult mentor in their lives are significantly less likely to start using drugs and alcohol or to be violent, and are more likely to be productive in school and to have healthier peer and family relationships. Following our meeting in Philadelphia, I have encouraged the participation of volunteers from Philadelphia area businesses, colleges and universities, and professional sports teams, including the Eagles, the 76ers, and the Phillies, in a citywide mentoring initiative. Volunteers from those organizations will be working in cooperation with the United Way and Big Brothers Big Sisters of America, with whom we have partnered to ensure that volunteers have the training and support they need to form successful mentoring relationships.
On February 23, I held a roundtable discussion in Reading, PA, at which Representative Joe Pitts, Representative Jim Gerlach, and I discussed the collaborative efforts of State, local, and Federal law enforcement with United States Attorney Pat Meehan and representatives from the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, the United States Marshal, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the Pennsylvania State Police, Reading City Police, and Berks County Sheriff's Department. The discussion capitalized, in part, on the previous efforts of community leader Albert Boscov, who has been hosting an ongoing working group focused on anti-crime issues in Reading. Our dialogue focused on the most effective and efficient methods of keeping the streets of Reading and surrounding neighborhoods safe. Presently, the largest Federal presence in the area is the Anti-Gang Initiative focused on the ``222 Corridor'' between Allentown and Lancaster--which has provided a $2.5 million grant to facilitate a collaborative Federal, State and local response to the gang-related drug and gun trafficking in the area. The initiative, which focuses on criminal law enforcement, prevention programs to steer kids away from criminal activity, and reentry programs to assist those returning from prison to integrate back into society, is already making headway into the gang problems in the area. Despite this progress, Federal, State and local law enforcement officers conveyed to me and to Representative Pitts and Gerlach the continuing need for more resources in order to get more cops out on the street.
I remain committed to ensuring that State and local law enforcement receive the support that it needs. I will be working with Federal law enforcement agencies to ensure that existing programs are meeting the needs of the communities in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and across the United States. I also plan to hold similar meetings in York, Lancaster, Allentown, Pittsburgh and other Pennsylvania cities in the coming months.
As the Senate moves forward in the 110th Congress, there are a number of important legislative items focused on crime prevention that demand our attention. The Juvenile Justice Act, which was most recently authorized in the 21st Century Department of Justice Appropriations Authorization Act (P.L. 107-273) is due to be reauthorized this year, and I will be working to ensure that Juvenile Justice programs are reauthorized in the form that most effectively and efficiently handles the challenges of youth violence and delinquency. The Recidivism Reduction and Second Chance Act, which I will be introducing with Senators Brownback, Leahy, and Biden, will provide essential reentry services to prisoners in order to reduce recidivism rates, keep former offenders productively engaged in society, and keep our streets more safe.
We must do everything we can to ensure that the Nation's youth receive the assistance they need to develop into productive, healthy adults and to protect our citizens from being victimized. I look forward to making a renewed commitment toward coordinated law enforcement and prevention efforts in the 110th Congress.
____________________
