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You should take a
TO:
The First Lady
look at this too.
FROM:
Neera Tanden
RE:
School Violence Conference
DATE:
September 14, 1998
We are continuing to plan the conference, in which you have a prominent role. This memo
outlines the planning up to date and solicits your thoughts on the conference's content.
Conference Theme
The overall theme is responsible adults in the lives of children ensure their safety. The
Conference's goals include: building on the existing body of knowledge about young people and
aggressive or violent behavior; listening and learning from academics, parents, teachers, law
enforcement and other experts about efforts that are effectively keeping our children safe; sharing
best practices and exploring new solutions; and developing strategies to put these safety models
in place in schools and communities across the nation.
Conference Agenda
The Conference will take place in the East Room of the White House, and will be down-linked
by more than 500 sites throughout the country. The theme of the conference is still responsible
adults in the lives of children ensure their safety both in and out of school.
Morning Break Out Sessions
The day will start with four breakout sessions in the White House Conference Center, which will
provide the invited guests, many of whom are experts and community leaders, with an
opportunity to interact with each other. Each of these sessions will be led by a cabinet secretary,
including the Attorney General, Secretary Riley, and Secretary Shalala, and will not be open to
the press. While we are still working out the details of the break out sessions, the topics they
will generally cover are as follows:
1. Root Causes of Youth Violence: This session will focus on a variety of factors, such as
family breakdown, early exposure to violence, lack of community cohesiveness, and media
violence, that promote violence among children and youth.
2. Systemic Educational Approaches: This session's discussion will center around the school
setting itself, by touching upon quality of education issues, such as small class size, as well as
traditional discipline concerns, such as bullying. It will also focus on policies like school
uniform and truancy prevention.
3. Recent Extreme Incidents of Violence: The focus of this session will be on the mental health
issues, amongst others, that are raised by the multiple school shootings that have taken place over
the last year. The session participants will also discuss the early warning signs of this kind of
violence and efforts to avoid such tragedies in the future.
4. Schools, Law Enforcement and the Broader Community: The panelists in this session would
discus partnerships between schools and the community to ensure that children are safe, touching
upon innovative efforts to apply the principles behind community policing to both school
violence in particular and juvenile violence in general. In addition, they would focus on after-
school programs as a way to involve the community in the school, thereby reducing crime, and
efforts to keep guns out of the hands of children, both when they are in school, and when they are
out.
While we expect some overlap between topics, we hope that each session will ultimately focus
on effective solutions.
Morning Panel
The first main panel will take place after the morning breakout sessions, at roughly 11 am in
order to reach the West Coast. The panel will involve you, the President, the Vice President and
Mrs. Gore, as well as a variety of experts, both in academia and law enforcement, and some
'real' people. At the present time, we envision a roundtable discussion that touches upon safety
in schools, but involves a larger discussion of the role of parents and the community in keeping
children safe. The following is an outline of the panel provides you with some idea of the
direction of the discussion that we envision. However, the morning panel will consist of some
combination of this list; this is frankly too many people for one session.
An expert, who will describe the general problem of violence amongst youth that is taking place
in and out of schools. He or she will make the point that while schools are often the safest places
within our communities, the violence that takes place there reflects the problems of the
communities that surround them.
A parent (probably from one of the affected communities) to discuss the consequences of
extreme violence, and touch upon the problem of easy access to guns.
An expert to discuss social forces and broader trends promoting violence amongst youth, such as
family breakdown, community breakdown, and growing media violence.
A teacher, who will discuss the educational consequences of discipline problems and violence, as
well as effective strategies to reduce violence.
A Superintendent, who will describe district-wide policies, such as school uniforms, curfews and
truancy policies, schools within a school, and mental health interventions.
A police officer, who will discuss efforts to apply the principles of community policing to the
more specialized areas of youth violence and school violence.
A prosecutor or police chief, who will discuss successful intervention initiatives for first-time
juvenile offenders.
A member of the clergy, who will discuss the role of faith organizations and the larger
community in effective prevention initiatives.
A mayor to discuss effective community-wide strategies to reduce juvenile violence, like the
efforts in Boston and San Diego.
A youth, possibly Cedric Jennings, to describe the problems of disadvantaged youth, as well as
their possibility.
I want to ensure that your interests are represented in the panel, as it will be the most heavily
covered of all the events of the day.
After the morning panel, we will proceed to lunch in the State Dining Room. During the lunch,
the Cabinet members will report on the discussion of the breakout sessions.
Directly after lunch, you are scheduled to lead a panel on effective strategies to reduce youth
violence. [While I have discussed this panel with Melanne, we wanted to ensure you agreed with
this outline.] You would lead a round-table discussion with 8 to 10 people who are
knowledgeable about effective strategies to keep our children safe. The panel would take place
in the East Room before the invited guests and would be broadcast to 500 satellite downlinks; at
the end of the discussion, the panelists would take questions from both the guests and the
downlink sites (assuming we can ensure such a system without any intrusions). The goal of the
panel is to try to answer the question of what we can do, both in the larger community and as
individuals, to address the problem of youth violence that is plaguing so many of our schools.
Throughout the discussion, the panelists would view three-minute videos that would show the
effective program and strategies in action.
Those in the discussion would include: program administrators, who can share effective
strategies and tools for replicating them; non-profit, community-based organizations and local
governments, who are involved in innovative strategies to coordinate services; and academics,
who can discuss the latest research and their evaluations of both successful programs and
strategies.
While the following issue areas are likely to be discussed by the panelists, this is not an
exhaustive list:
Mentoring programs to reduce violence
Early intervention strategies, such as family strengthening programs
Prevention of serious anti-social behavior in adolescence
Neighborhood cohesiveness as a prevention strategy
Comprehensive anti-juvenile crime strategies on the local level
Strategies to replicate effective at-risk prevention programs throughout the country
This cross-section of panelists would represent expertise from earliest childhood delinquency
prevention through aggressive teenage intervention.
After this roundtable discussion, there would be a reception for all the participants.
Again, while the conference planning is still a bit fluid, it is definitely taking a more concrete
shape. Therefore, please let me know any reactions you may have to the agenda.
ceived, we have not witnessed the
Vincent Schiraldi
kind of reporting or analysis needed
to give worried parents or con-
cerned policymakers the context in
Hyping
which to judge the safety of our
institutions of learning.
Instead, the media's linking of
School
these shootings as a "trend" has
exacerbated people's fears about the
safety of their children in schools.
The result has been that misdirected
Violence
public policy is being generated to
safeguard the schools, even though
the real threat lies elsewhere.
To remedy the purported "crisis
During the last school year, the
of classroom violence, politicians
public was riveted by the images of
have proposed solutions ranging
small-town schools taped off by
from putting additional police offi-
police lines, paramedics rushing to
cers in schools to eliminating any
wheel adolescent bodies away on
minimum age at which children may
gurneys and kids being carted off in
be tried as adults. The legislature in
handcuffs. As the national news
Texas has proposed to expand the
media zoomed into Pearl, Miss.,
death penalty to 11-year-olds in
West Paducah, Ky., Jonesboro,
response to the Jonesboro shooting.
Ark., Edinboro, Pa., and Spring-
Despite a 30 percent decline in
field, Ore., news outlets began to
juvenile homicides since 1994, Pres-
describe these highly idiosyncratic
ident Clinton recently proposed
cases as "an all-too-familiar story" or
that police be allowed stop children
"another in a recent trend."
on the street during school hours
A kind of moral panic swept the
without cause. Gov. James Gilmore
country as parents and children
of Virginia suggested ending after-
suddenly feared for their safety. A
school programs due to the vio-
principal in Bethesda-a communi-
lence, even though a wide spectrum
ty that had recently experienced a
of criminologists, police and educa-
26 percent decline in juvenile
tors say that such programs consti-
crime-warned that "it could hap-
tute vital crime reduction and com-
pen anyplace."
munity-enhancing strategies.
But it doesn't happen anyplace,
Likewise, concern among school
and it rarely happens at all. The best
administrators has reached such a
data available from the Centers for
fevered pitch that children are now
Disease Control on the threat of
being suspended from school for
making make-believe threats to
There is no "trend"
harm the Spice Girls or Barney the
purple dinosaur. A computerized
search of the nation's newspapers
toward shootings at
turned up 216 such school expul-
sions just in the months of May and
schools. In fact,
June this year, compared with 22 in
May and June of 1997.
There are many real dangers fac-
such attacks have
ing America's children. Our kids are
killed by guns at 12 times the rate for
children in other industrialized na-
been on the decline.
tions. But 99 percent of kids' deaths
are away from school, and the peak
school-associated violent deaths re-
times for such killings are evenings,
veals that kids face less than one
weekends and vacation periods.
chance in a million of being killed at
The good news is that schools are
school. Young people report being
some of the safest places in Ameri-
assaulted in schools today at the
ca, and America's teenagers are
same rate as in 1976. Research by
represented more by the weeping
the National School Safety Center
young faces depicted following the
shows that there were 27 percent
shootings than by the image of Luke
fewer school killings in the 1997-98
Woodham being led out of the
school year than in 1992-93. Indeed,
school in handcuffs.
twice as many people were killed by
The recently publicized school
lightning in 1997 as were killed in
shootings, though, could provide a
all of America's schools.
long-overdue call for action in
This is not to say that our chil-
America to productively occupy our
dren face no threats to their safety
children after school hours and keep
in society-even in schools. As trag-
them away from handguns. But only
ic as the II deaths in Jonesboro,
if our elected officials avoid panick-
Paducah, Pearl, Springfield and
ing and look in the right place for
Edinboro were, 11 kids are killed
solutions.
every two days by their parents or
caretakers.
The writer is director of the
But with all the media coverage
Justice Policy Institute.
these school shootings have re-
The Washington Post
TUESDAY, AUGUST 25, 1998
DEPARTMENTS OF EDUCATION AND JUSTICE
ACTIVITIES TO BE ENGAGED IN TO RESPOND TO SCHOOL VIOLENCE
In response to the recent series of homicides, shootings, and
threats of homicide the Departments of Education and Justice are
proposing the following activities:
ANNUAL REPORT ON SCHOOL SAFETY: ED and Justice are
developing a Report on School Safety. The Report will
provide the public with an overview of crime and violence in
school's as well as an overview of what programs and
activities have proven to be effective in helping to create
safe environments for learning.
Proposed Date for Completion/Release:
October/November
1998
Department Leads:
NATIONAL SCHOOL SAFETY DAY: ED and Justice are proposing
that the President set aside a day (same day that Annual
Report on School Safety is released) when he and other
Administration officials can talk about the need to end
violence that is occurring in our schools. Activities being
contemplated include: Address to students by the President;
release of teachers guide on activities to be engaged in
during the day.
Proposed Date for Completion/Release:
October/November
1998
Department Leads:
GUIDELINE FOR HELPING PRINCIPALS AND TEACHERS RESPOND TO THE
EARLY WARNING SIGNS OF TROUBLED YOUTH: ED and Justice will
join with the National Association of School Psychologists
to develop a guide on early warning signs of troubled youth.
The guide will help schools identify the early warning signs
that lead to violence and offer recommended actions schools
can take when students act in a violent or threatening
manner.
Proposed Date for Completion/Release:
August
1998
Department Leads:
ED/JUSTICE LISTENING SESSIONS WITH YOUTH: The Secretary and
Attorney General will host several (specific number to be
determined) sessions with youth. The sessions which will be
conducted over the next year will provide the Secretary and
Attorney General with the opportunity to talk directly to
youth about issues related to crime, violence, drugs, and
guns. Youth view's regarding possible solutions to the
problem will be sought.
Proposed Date for Completion/Release:
First Session to be
held in July.
Department Leads:
LINKING MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES TO SCHOOLS: ED and Justice
will work with officials from HHS to develop better
processes for linking community mental health services to
schools. Currently, many schools lack resources to provide
adequate mental health services to students, these services
however are available in some communities. Processes for
linking schools to community mental health services will be
developed.
Proposed Date for Completion/Release: Meeting with HHS to
be held in June/July.
Department Leads:
DEVELOPING EFFECTIVE PLAN FOR RESPONDING TO CRISIS: This
component has two aspects. They are as follows:
- -Model Crisis Plan: ED and Justice will develop a Model
Crisis Response Plan for school districts. The Plan would
provide schools with recommendations as to what they should
do when an emergency / crisis strikes.
- -Responding to Crisis (Federal Role) : ED and Justice will
reanalyze their response to school crisis and disasters. ED
and Justice currently offer assistance to schools and
communities immediately following a disaster. The procedure
for providing assistance to schools needs to be reexamined.
Proposed Date for Completion/Release:
Department Leads:
STUDY OF ALTERNATIVE SCHOOLS: ED will undertake a major new
study of alternative schools to ascertain how these schools
(including such alternatives as Charters) can be better
used as Valternatives to the street, for students who have
been expelled from school.
Proposed Date for Completion/Release:
Department Leads:
GUIDELINES FOR RESPONDING WHEN GUNS AND OTHER WEAPONS COME
INTO SCHOOL: : Justice and ED will be developing guidance for
educators on what to do when weapons come into a school.
ED/Justice will examine procedures used in Boston and other
jurisdictions for evaluating all students who bring weapons
to schools.
Proposed Date for Completion/Release:
Department Leads:
ADDITIONAL POLICE SUPPORT FOR SCHOOLS: The President asked
the Attorney General and Secretary of Education to report
back to me before the start of the school year on ways that
we can help to provide more police in our schools, just as
we have provided more police in our communities.
Proposed Date for Completion/Release:
August
1998
Department Leads:
MEETING WITH SITES IMPACTED BY SCHOOL VIOLENCE: ED and
Justice will hold meeting with sites impacted by recent
shootings (Pearl, Paducah, Jonesboro, Springfield, Richmond,
Edinboro, Moses Lake) to assess what Federal agencies did
after the shooting that was helpful as well as what we could
be doing.
Proposed Date for Completion/Release: July/August
1998
Department Leads:
HOSTING MEETING OF ED AND JUSTICE ORGANIZATIONS TO
COORDINATE RESPONSES TO SCHOOL CRIME AND VIOLENCE: ED and
Justice will host meeting of major constituent groups, e.g.,
NEA, AFT, PTA, CSSO, CGCS, and IACP, PERF, NOBLE, NSSA etc.
to coordinate activities around issue of school safety.
Proposed Date for Completion/Release: July 1998
Department Leads:
DEVELOPMENT OF MODEL DISCIPLINARIAN CODE (A CODE FOR THE
21ST CENTURY) : ED and Justice will examine school discipline
issues that have arisen over course of past several years
that are not being adequately addressed by schools, e.g.,
threats to injure or kill other students, and with support
of experts from educational groups and law enforcement
develop model responses to the issues.
Proposed Date for Completion:
Department Leads:
DATA COLLECTION:
U.S. Department of Justice
STATES
Office of Justice Programs
Office of the Assistant Attorney General
Washington, D.C. 20531
May 14, 1998
MEMORANDUM
TO:
Distribution List
5
FROM:
Laurie Robinson, Assistant Attorney General
Shay Bilchik, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention
RE:
Meeting on Safe Start: Children Exposed to Violence Initiative
Almost a year ago many of you were involved in the initial discussion for the
development of a new initiative, Safe Start: Children Exposed to Violence. In response to the
White House Conference on Early Childhood Development and Learning, OJJDP submitted an
FY 99 budget request to support this new initiative. This $10 million program is in the
President's budget request as Department of Justice Violence Against Women Grants Office
(VAWGO) funds. Together, VAWGO and the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency
Prevention will be working closely over the next six months to develop the program, and we
invite your participation and ideas in this process. An initial meeting to update all of you on our
progress thus far and future plans, is scheduled for Wednesday, June 3rd at 9:30 AM in
conference room 8133 (810 7th Street, NW). We hope you can join us.
The goal of the Safe Start initiative is to prevent and reduce the impact of family, school,
and community violence on young children in 15 communities. The initiative seeks to
accomplish this goal by integrating federal and private support to improve the access, delivery,
and quality of educational/developmental, health, mental health, family support, crisis
intervention and legal services for young children at risk of being or already exposed to violence,
their families and their care givers.
The Safe Start planning period involving federal agencies, researchers and representatives
from private organizations will focus on comprehensively examining the magnitude of the
problem and characteristics of children exposed to violence; effective interventions; what
communities are doing to implement these interventions; and the best way for various federal
agencies and private organizations to maximize their current work in this area and jointly support
local efforts.
Attached you will find a concept paper describing the initiative. We look forward to your
participation and support of this project.
Distribution List
Pauline Abernathy, Department of Education
Carolyn Becraft, Department of Defense
Terry Dozier, Department of Education
Mark Engman, Housing and Urban Development
Jeff Evans, HHS-NICHD
Lynn Goldman, Environmental Protection Agency
Carolyn Huntoon, OSTP-Children's Initiative
Dr. Stephen Hyman, HHS-NIMH
Dave Jacobs, Housing and Urban Development
Mimi Kanda, HHS-Head Start
Woodie Kessel, HHS-MCHB
Rose Kitrell, HHS-CSAP
Joann Lombardi, HHS-Child Care Bureau
Sue Matone. HHS-SAMSHA
Ricia McMahon, Office of National Drug Control Policy
Joan Sebastian Morris, Department of the Interior
Julian Potter, Community Empowerment Board
Nicole Rabner, Office of the First Lady
Murry Rapp, Department of Transportation
Mark Rosenberg, HHS-CDCP
Ann Rosewater, Department of Health and Human Services
Glen Rosselli, Department of Treasury
Bob Shireman, Office of Management Budget
Mike Smith, Department of Education
Larry Sparks, HHS-CDCP
Susan Stroud, Corporation for National Service
Cheryl Tates-Macias, Department of Agriculture
Ray Uhalde, Department of Labor
Vicki Wachino, Office of Management Budget
Dr. Terry Watkins-Bryant, HHS-Bureau Primary Health Care
Carol Williams, HHS-ACF Children's Bureau
PRESIDENT CLINTON: PROMOTING GUN SAFETY AND RESPONSIBILITY
July 8, 1998
Today, President Clinton announces three new steps that the Administration will take to continue to
promote gun safety and responsibility throughout the country. Specifically, the Administration will: (1)
require federally licensed gun dealers to post signs and issue warnings concerning juvenile handgun
possession; (2) call on states and Congress to pass Child Access Prevention legislation; and (3) partner
with the State of Maryland to reduce gun-related violence.
Warning Prospective Gun Purchasers
The Youth Handgun Safety Act. Passed as part of the 1994 Crime Act, the Youth Handgun
Safety Act generally prohibits juveniles from possessing handguns and adults from transferring
handguns to juveniles. Today, in response to a directive issued by the President on June 11,
1997, the Treasury Department will announce the publication of a final regulation requiring all
federally licensed gun dealers to post signs and issue written warnings that state the following:
(1) The misuse of handguns is a leading contributor to juvenile violence and fatalities;
(2) Safely storing and securing firearms away from children will help prevent the unlawful
possession of handguns by juveniles, stop accidents and save lives;
(3) Federal law prohibits, except in certain limited circumstances, any one under 18 years of age
from knowingly possessing a handgun, or any person from selling, delivering or otherwise
transferring a handgun to a person under 18; and
(4) A knowing violation of the prohibition against, selling, delivering or otherwise transferring a
handgun to a persons under 18 is, under certain circumstances, punishable by up to 10 years in
prison.
Holding Gun-Owning Adults Accountable for Child Safety
Nationwide Child Access Prevention (CAP) Laws. President Clinton will call on states to
promote gun safety and responsibility by passing Child Access Prevention (CAP) laws that hold
adults responsible if they allow children easy access to loaded firearms. Fifteen states have
already enacted such CAP laws. The President will also call on Congress to pass a tough,
targeted federal CAP law with new penalties to punish the most egregious offenders. A recent
study published by the Journal of the American Medical Association found that CAP laws
reduced fatal unintentional shootings by an average of 23%.
Partnering With State and Local Law Enforcement
Maryland Gun Enforcement Initiative. Building on the President's Youth Crime Gun
Interdiction Initiative, the Administration will partner with the State of Maryland to launch a
joint ATF-Maryland State Police initiative effort to trace every crime gun seized in the state.
Additionally, Maryland will target "Youth Gun HotSpots" throughout the state; expand
enforcement of the state's CAP law; and establish an Office of Gun Enforcement to coordinate
these efforts and generally facilitate gun investigations.
U.S. Department of Justice
NCJ 165057 Marcia Chaiken, Ph.D.,
Drug Treatment Needs Among Adult
NCJ 163921 Patricia Tjaden, Ph.D.,
Research Director of LINC, Alexandria,
Arrestees.
Senior Researcher. Center for Policy
Office of Justice Programs
VA: Youth Afterschool Programs and the Role of
Research, The Crime of Stalking: How Big
National Institute of Justice
Law Enforcement.
NCJ 163059 Jeffrey Fagan, Ph.D.,
1. the Problem?
Professor Columbia University, Adolescent
NCJ 163058 Eric Wish, Ph.D., Director,
Violence: A View From the Street.
Center for Substance Abuse Research,
University of Maryland, Dependence and
National Institute of Justice
Quick Access to NIJ Publication News
Research Preview
For news about NIJ's most recent publications, including solicitations for grant applications,
Jeremy Travis, Director
April 1997
subscribe to JUSTINFO, the bimonthly newsletter sent to you via e-mail. Here's how:
Send an e-mail to [email protected]
The Prevalence and Consequences
Leave the subject line blank
of Child Victimization
Summary of a Research Study by Dean Kilpatrick, Ph.D., and Benjamin Saunders, Ph.D.
Type subscribe justinfo your name
(e.g., subscribe justinfo Jane Doe) in the body of the message
Preliminary findings from a study of 4,023 adolescents
assault, violence they may have witnessed, their drug
and their parents indicate a significant number of today's
and alcohol use, their experience of Posttraumatic Stress
Or check out the "What's New" section at the Justice Information Center homepage:
youthful population have been victims of sexual and physical
Disorder, and serious delinquency offenses they may
http://www.ncjrs.org
abuse and have personally witnessed incidents of violence
have committed.
against others. For many, consequences of these experi-
The sample was evenly divided between male and female
ences include Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and
participants and had demographic characteristics similar
drug and alcohol abuse. The study is part of the National
to those of the general population this age. Approximately
Survey of Adolescents, a household survey sponsored
U.S. Department of Justice
BULK RATE
70 percent of the sampled youths were non-Hispanic whites,
POSTAGE & FEES PAID
by the National Institute of Justice (NIJ) and conducted
Office of Justice Programs
14.7 percent were African Americans, 7.8 percent were
DOJ/NIJ
by the National Crime Victims Research and Treatment
of Hispanic origin, 3.5 percent were Native Americans,
National Institute of Justice
Permit No. G-91
Center at the Medical University of South Carolina.
and 3.8 percent were members of other racial/ethnic
Washington. D.C. 20531
Extrapolating the findings of this study to the national
groups. About 16 percent were in families with annual
adolescent population as a whole suggests that of the
household incomes under $20,000, 44 percent were
Official Business
22.3 million adolescents ages 12-17 in the United States
from families whose income ranged between $20,000
Penalty for Private Use $300
today, approximately 1.8 million have been victims of a
and $50,000, and one-third were from ones whose income
serious sexual assault, 3.9 million have been victims of
exceeded $50,000; the remaining participants were from
a serious physical assault, and almost 9 million have
families who refused to divulge their household incomes.
witnessed serious violence. Nearly 2 million have suffered
(and over 1 million still suffer) from PTSD, and about 3.4
Preliminary findings
million have been drug or alcohol abusers as well. Analysis
Sexual assault. Sexual assault was defined as "unwanted
of the survey information indicates a strong correlation
between drug abuse and delinquency. Having been
but actual sexual contact," thus leaving out unsuccessful
personally victimized and suffering from PTSD also
attempts at contact or noncontact victimization, such as
seem to be strong predictors of delinquent behavior.
an exhibitionist display. As anticipated, more female than
male adolescents had been sexually assaulted (13 percent
Research design
of females in contrast to 3.4 percent of males). Of the
females, 3.3 percent experienced unwanted penile pen-
The findings are based on telephone interviews lasting
etration in contrast to 0.5 percent of the males. Similarly,
on average a half hour with the random sample of 4,023
2.7 percent of the female adolescents but only 0.6 percent
adolescents and preliminary 10-minute interviews with
of the males experienced penetration with fingers or objects.
their parents or guardians. The researchers looked at
Physical assault. Behavior considered to be "physical
several variables, including age, gender, race, and
assault" included being attacked or threatened with a
household income. They asked the adolescents about
weapon, badly hurt from a beating, or attacked without a
their personal experiences of sexual assault and physical
weapon but with the intent to kill or seriously injure. Survey
Research in
The Latest Criminal Justice
respondents indicated that young males had significantly
physical assault developed-and 4.5 still had-PTSD.
higher rates of physical assault than females (21.3 percent
Among witnesses to violence, 15 percent developed
Videotape Series from NIJ:
versus 13.4 percent).
PTSD, compared to 3.3 percent of surveyed youths who
had not witnessed violence. PTSD was thus a significant
Research in Progress Seminars
Witnessing violence. This category measured lifetime
correlate of victimization.
experience of seeing someone shot with a gun, knifed,
Learn about the latest developments in criminal justice research from prominent criminal justice experts.
sexually assaulted, mugged, robbed, or threatened with
Predictors of delinquency
Each 60-minute tape presents a well-known scholar discussing his or her current studies and how
a weapon. Witnessing violence portrayed in the movies
they relate to existing criminal justice research and includes the lecturer's responses to audience questions.
or on television was excluded. Forty-three percent of
Although correlation studies that control for dependent
In addition to The Prevalence and Consequences of Child Victimization, reported on in this Research Preview, the other
male adolescents and 35 percent of female adolescents
variables are incomplete, preliminary analysis of multiple
tapes available in VHS format are:
had witnessed some form of violence firsthand. Re-
variables shows that neither age nor household income
NCJ 152235 Alfred Blumstein. Ph.D.,
Cohort: A Replication in the People's Republic of
NCJ 156925 John Monahan, Ph.D.,
searchers excluded from their overall calculations the
appears to predict past-year delinquency. This leads
Professor. Carnegie Mellon University:
China.
Professor, University of Virginia: Mental
approximately 30 percent of adolescents who had
researchers to conclude that youths of any age from
Youth Violence, Guns, and Illicit Drug Markets.
Illness and Violent Crime.
directly observed someone being beaten up and badly
wealthier homes would have the same level of delinquency
NCJ 153730 Lawrence W. Sherman,
NCJ 152236 Peter W. Greenwood,
Ph.D., Professor, University of Maryland:
NCJ 159739 Joel H. Garner, Ph.D.,
hurt-an experience so common that had these figures
as those from lower income families-if they had the same
Ph.D., Director, Criminal Justice Research
Reducing Gun Violence: Community Policing
Research Director. Joint Centers for Justice
been included, the prevalence of witnessing violence
experiences. The most significant contributor to delinquent
Program. The RAND Corporation: Three
Against Gun Crime.
Studies: Use of Force By and Against the Police.
would have risen to 72 percent for the entire sample.
behavior was found to be drug abuse, although personal
Strikes, You re Out: Benefits and Costs of
California's New Mandatory-Sentencing Law.
NCJ 153272 Cathy Spatz Widom. Ph.D.,
victimization (except for sexual assault), heavy alcohol
Delinquency. At least once in their lives, 12.3 percent of
Professor, State University of New York-
NCJ 159740 Kim English, Research
Director, Colorado Division of Criminal
use, and PTSD also played strong roles. The fact that
NCJ 152237 Christian Pfeiffer. Ph.D.,
Albany: The Cycle of Violence Revisited Six Years
respondents had committed a delinquent offense. In the
sexual assault, whose victims are primarily female, was
Director, Kriminologisches Forschungs-
Later.
Justice: Managing Adult Sex Offenders in
year previous to the interview, 14.9 percent of the adoles-
not an important predictor of delinquency argues for
institut Niedersachsen: Sentencing Policy and
Community Settings: A Containment Approach.
cent males and 5.8 percent of the adolescent females
Crime Rates in Reunified Germany.
NCJ 153273 Wesley Skogan, Ph.D.,
developing separate models by gender.
Professor. Northwestern University:
NCJ 160765 Michael Tonry, Ph.D.,
had engaged in at least one form of delinquent behavior,
NCJ 152238 L. Kellermann,
Community Policing in Chicago: Fact or Fiction?
Professor, University of Minnesota:
some of which was very serious. For instance, more
Confirmation of the study's hypotheses of a correlation
M.D., M.P.H., Director, Center for Injury
Ethnicity, Crime, and Immigration.
than 5 percent of males and 2.3 percent of females had
between victimization experiences, PTSD, and delinquency
Control, and Associate Professor, Emory
NCJ 155850 Scott H. Decker, Ph.D.,
University: Understanding and Preventing
Professor, University of Missouri-St. Louis,
NCJ 161259 - Robert Crutchfield, Ph.D.,
committed assault with intent to kill or seriously injure.
await completion of data analyses, but preliminary findings
Violence: A Public Health Perspective.
and Susan Pennell, San Diego Association of
Professor, University of Washington:
point to the significance of personal victimization as a
Governments: Monitoring the Illegal Firearms
Substance abuse. The lifetime serious drug use rate was
Labor Markets, Employment, and Crime.
risk factor for major mental health problems, abuse of
NCJ 152692 James Inciardi, Ph.D.,
Market.
10.3 percent for the survey sample, but when alcohol use
drugs and alcohol as a means of coping with PTSD, and
Director, Drug and Alcohol Center,
NCJ 161836 Geoff Alpert, Ph.D.,
was factored in, the percentage rose to 53.9. The rate of
University of Delaware: A Corrections-Based
NCJ 154277 Terrie Moffitt, Ph.D., Professor,
Professor, University of South Carolina:
substance abuse as a precursor of delinquent behavior.
past-year drug use was 8.9 percent. For past-year heavy
Continuum of Effective Drug Abuse Treatment.
University of Wisconsin: Partner Violence Among
Police in Purvuit: Policy and Practice.
Young Adults.
alcohol use (i.e., using alcohol two or three times a month,
Researchers hope to conduct longitudinal research with
NCJ 153270 Adele Harrell, Ph.D.,
getting drunk four or more times, or having five or more
this or another adolescent cohort to clarify the temporal
Director, Program on Law and Behavior,
NCJ 156925 Orlando Rodriguez, Ph.D..
NCJ 163056 Dan Brookoff, M.D., Ph.D.,
sequence of these stages.
The Urban Institute: Intervening with High-
Director, Hispanic Research Center,
Associate Director, Medical Education,
drinks in one sitting four or more times), the rate was 15.2
Risk Youth: Preliminary Findings from the
Fordham University: The New Immigrant
Memphis Methodist Hospital: Drug Use and
percent; the rate of past-year substance use (a combina-
Children-at-Risk Program.
Hispanic Populations: Implications for Crime and
Domestic Violence.
tion of drug and alcohol abuse) was almost 20 percent.
This summary is based on a presentation of an NIJ-
Delinquency in the Next Decade.
NCJ 153271 - Marvin Wolfgang, Ph.D.,
(continued on back)
sponsored study (NIJ grant number 93-IJ-CX-0023)
Director, Legal Studies and Criminology,
NCJ 156924 Robert Sampson, Ph.D.,
Analyses of findings
by Dean Kilpatrick, Ph.D., professor and director of
University of Pennsylvania: Crime in a Birth
Professor, University of Chicago: Communities
the National Crime Victims Research and Treatment
and Crime: A Study in Chicago.
As anticipated, analyses of the data revealed that youths
from lower income groups experienced higher rates of
Center at the Medical University of South Carolina,
To order any of these tapes, please complete and return this form with your payment ($19, U.S.: $24, Canada and
sexual and physical assault than those from middle and
and Benjamin Saunders, Ph.D., associate professor
higher income groups. In addition, Native Americans,
and director of Family and Child Programs at the same
other countries) to National Criminal Justice Reference Service, P.O. Box 6000, Rockville, MD 20849-6000.
African Americans, and Hispanics had higher rates than
university. As part of NIJ's Research in Progress
Call 800-851-3420, or e-mail [email protected] if you have any questions.
Seminar Series, Drs. Kilpatrick and Saunders dis-
Caucasians and other racial and ethnic groups in all
Please send me the following tapes:
categories of victimization.
cussed their work with an audience of criminal justice
Qty.
Presenter Name and NCJ Number
Subtotal
researchers, professionals, and practitioners. A 60-
Posttraumatic Stress Disorder. At some point in their
minute VHS videotape, Prevalence and Consequences
lives, nearly 30 percent of sexual assault victims devel-
of Child Victimization: Preliminary Results From the
oped-and almost 20 percent still suffered from-PTSD.
National Survey of Adolescents, is available for $19
By comparison, 6.2 percent of adolescents who were
($24 in Canada and other foreign countries). Ask for
Total
not sexually assaulted (but might have been victimized
NCJ 157643. Use the order form on the next page to
Name
in other ways) developed PTSD, and 3.6 percent still had
obtain this videotape and any of the other tapes now
it. A similar pattern emerged for victims of physical
Address
available in the series.
assault and those who had witnessed serious violence.
City
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Among adolescents who had been physically assaulted,
Points of view in this document do not necessarily reflect the
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Deduct this item from my NCJRS Deposit Account, account no.
23.4 percent developed PTSD and 14.8 percent still
official position of the U.S. Department of Justice.
Charge my:
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suffered from it, while 10.8 percent of nonvictims of
FS 000179
Exp. Date
Signature
TO:
The First Lady, Melanne Verveer
FROM:
Jen Klein, Neera Tanden
DATE:
April 9, 1998
RE:
Youth Crime and Prevention
Recent events, legislation on the Hill, and innovative research findings all present an opportunity
for you to engage in the current discourse on juvenile crime and prevention in a number of ways.
We are providing information on the following areas, each of which offers you a different prism
through which to examine this issue:
1. After Jonesboro: Immediate actions you can take in light of the recent tragedy to help find
solutions to this tragedy as well as the problem of school violence overall.
2. S. 10: The progress of the legislation and concerns it raises.
3. Longer term agenda for at-risk issues: Models for crime prevention as well as event ideas to
highlight these models.
TO:
The First Lady, Melanne Verveer
FROM:
Jen Klein, Neera Tanden
DATE:
April 9, 1998
RE:
Models of Crime Prevention
We now know of two different types of models -- the Boston Gun Project, which is a successful
strategy of juvenile crime prevention, and the Project on Human Development in Chicago
Neighborhoods, which is a longer-term analysis of the causes of crime that also illuminates
effective strategies to prevent all types of crime. This memo outlines the findings of these two
research efforts and suggests events to highlight both their findings as well as the overall issue of
prevention.
I. Two kinds of models
A. The Project on Human Development in Chicago Neighborhoods (which is often referred to as
the Chicago Study):
The Chicago Project is a long-term, on-going study, which began in 1990, that will examine the
factors that could potentially contribute to criminal behavior -- the community, family, peers, as
well as individual characteristics. In fact, it is made up of two forms of study -- a comparison of
neighborhoods and a longitudinal study of individuals. The study brings together data from the
census, police and a citywide survey of more than 8,000 Chicago residents and 80 Chicago
communities in a coordinated effort to investigate why neighborhoods vary greatly in levels of
criminal victimization and homicides. The longitudinal study of individuals is monitoring children
and adolescents as they grow up in order to understand the impact on their behavior of factors
such as changes in family structure, social services and characteristics of the neighborhood.
The Project's comparison of neighborhoods has already yielded some results. Preliminary
findings published last August showed that lower rates of violence occur in urban neighborhoods
characterized by "collective efficacy." The investigators found that "collective efficacy," or the
willingness to monitor children's play groups, help neighbors, and intervene in preventing acts
such as juvenile truancy or street-corner loitering, is the key indicator as to whether a
neighborhood will or will not experience crime problems. Although previous studies have cited a
relationship between race, poverty and crime, this study shows that, after controlling for social
composition, collective efficacy is a strong predictor of the violence level in the neighborhood.
These findings clearly supports your view that community involvement is critical to the welfare of
our children.
In particular, the published findings show that collective expectations for intervening on behalf of
neighborhood children is a crucial dimension of the public life of neighborhoods. Interestingly,
some of the Chicago neighborhoods with the highest levels of this type of collective efficacy are
African-American, middle-class and stable. In this sense, the findings imply that achieving stable
and safe neighborhoods is possible, although not necessarily easy, in all areas whether they be rich
or poor, black or white.
While this study has been contrasted in media reports with the work of academics such as William
Julius Wilson, who argue that economic factors are the key indicators of crime rates, this is a false
dichotomy to a great extent. The study found that while collective efficacy is the most important
variable in determining whether crime and general anti-social behavior will take place, both
concentrated poverty and residential instability can undermine collective efficacy.
The study's analysis is expected to inform the design of effective violence prevention strategies in
communities and schools. The Chicago Study is a multi-faceted, multi-year analysis that will have
several new research offshoots, many of which touch on issues you have worked on:
New Report: The Chicago Project published a study last year on the relationship between
collective efficacy and crime, which was based on interviews with individual residents. In the next
month, they will release a new study based both on physical landscape and on actual observance
of the neighborhoods that confirms their previous findings that collective efficacy is critical to
stopping crime.
Child Care: The study is examining systems of child care support and monitoring their impact on
families. Researchers are studying the quality of the arrangements families are choosing, many of
which are informal because of the particular needs of the families, and will be tracking any effects
on children in the longitudinal study.
Birth weight: The researchers are also examining whether birth weight is affected by
neighborhood social support systems. According to a report that will be issued in the next three
months, the researchers found that neighborhoods with high levels of collective efficacy have
higher birth weight rates than those communities that lack collective efficacy.
School sites: Researchers are also visiting schools in neighborhoods and examining school-
community interactions, and trying to determine whether strong neighborhood relationships to
schools increase school performance. They posit that how and whether we view schools as
embedded in neighborhoods will affect school performance.
As each report comes forward, they offer an opportunity for you to help communicate the
importance of previous findings as well.
B. Boston Gun Project
The Boston Gun Project, also known as Operation Cease Fire, is a research and action project
aimed at reducing serious youth violence in Boston. The three-year project has assembled a large
interagency group, including local, state and federal officials, to tackle both the cause of youth
violence in Boston and prevention strategies. The strategy combines a tough but smart approach
to crime prevention, encapsulating three particular efforts:
1) Cracking down on illicit gun trafficking: Gun Project researchers, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco
and Firearms agents, and Boston Police Department investigators are systematically tracing crime
guns, and taking illegal guns off the streets in order to de-escalate the cycle of violence. The
Treasury Department and Justice Department Youth Crime Gun Interdiction Initiative has
extended this aspect of the initiative to 16 other cities since July 1996.
2) Focusing on violent gang members: Gun Project research showed that the problem of youth
homicide was concentrated among a small number of serially offending gang-involved youth. Only
about 1300 gang members -- less than 1% of their age group city-wide -- were responsible for
from 60% to 80% of all the youth homicide in the city. The agencies involved in the Cease Fire
strategy have been communicating systematically with gang members that violence will not be
tolerated in Boston, and that gang members are under particular scrutiny. At the same time, gang
members are also made aware of alternatives to crime and violence, such as summer jobs and
recreational opportunities provides by local government, corporate and community groups.
3) Cracking down on all illegal activity by gang members: When gang violence occurs, Cease Fire
cracks down on all illegal activity by violent gang members with special prosecutorial attention,
from minor violations like driving unregistered cars to more serious crimes like drug dealing. At
the same time, gang outreach specialists are déployed and other social services mobilized who
communicate that services will be revoked if the violence continues. The key characteristics of
this response is that it is predictable, immediate and involves the application of control and
sanctions very quickly. As a result, Boston's juvenile homicide rate has dramatically declined;
until a recent murder, not a single juvenile had been killed with a gun in over two years.
II. Events to highlight these models
Interestingly, while these models have the power to alter our understanding of crime and crime
prevention, they are both only at the very nascent stages of affecting the current discourse on the
subject. Therefore, they could both benefit from efforts to educate a larger audience on their
findings. In addition, highlighting these models could form part of a larger discussion of what
works.
1. Round table on violence prevention strategies in Boston: Boston has been recognized as a
national model and other cities, like Minneapolis, are starting to adopt its strategies. You could
more formally highlight Boston's strategy through a round table discussion in Boston or here with
experts and leaders in the field.
2. Round table with Chicago Study researchers and others with the release of new studies:
Because the project releases findings on a regular basis, you could hold a round table or panel
discussion to highlight some of the more interesting findings as they are released, as well as the
overall project.
3. Release of New Report: The Department of Justice will issue a report titled Kids, Cops and
Communities, in late April which focuses on exemplary partnerships between the police and other
community organizations to reduce juvenile crime and delinquency in Connecticut, Washington
and Texas. It will also contain suggestions for police chiefs and officers to promote and support
efforts to provide positive alternatives for children when they are not in school. We could use this
as an opportunity to highlight a range of effective models.
4. After-school event: We have submitted a request for you and the President to participate in the
announcement of the first grants in the 21st Century Learning Center Program and to release a
report on the effectiveness of after-school programs for youth by the Departments of Education
and Justice.
TO:
The First Lady, Melanne Verveer
FROM:
Neera Tanden
DATE:
April 9, 1998
RE:
Juvenile Justice Legislation
This memo is meant to provide background on the juvenile justice legislation by detailing the status
of negotiations and the interest groups' concerns about this legislation. I have also attached a memo
from the Attorney General outlining her concerns. Of course, you may want to have a longer, more
detailed conversation regarding this legislation and the concerns it raises.
JUVENILE JUSTICE LEGISLATION ON THE HILL
In February of 1997, the President announced his Anti-Gang and Youth Violence Strategy, an
important component of which was anti-gang and youth violence legislation. The overall strategy
included crime prevention funding, gun violence measures as well as anti-juvenile crime legislation
that amends federal criminal law. In response, Republicans in Congress have pushed their own
measures. The House has already passed two juvenile justice bills -- H.R. 3 and H.R. 1818.
Although both bills are titled "The Juvenile Crime Control and Delinquency Prevention Act of 1997,"
H.R. 3 is an accountability bill and H.R. 1818 is a prevention and intervention bill. H.R. 3, which was
introduced by Rep. McCollum (R-FL) and passed the House on May 8, 1997, authorizes a $1.5
billion block grant over three years for post-conviction or -adjudication activity only. Of this $1.5
billion, no prevention spending is permitted, much less required. H.R. 1818, which was introduced
by Rep. Riggs (R-CA) and passed the House on July 15, 1997, creates a block grant for prevention
and intervention, although no money has been specified in the bill. The Administration strongly
supports H.R. 1818 and opposes H.R. 3. Both bills await conference.
The Senate has before it S. 10, the "Violent and Repeat Juvenile Offender Act of 1997," which was
introduced by Senators Orrin Hatch (R-UT) and Jeff Sessions (R-AL), and reported out of the
Senate Judiciary Committee on July 24, 1997. In terms of spending provisions, S.10 provides a
$3.25 billion block grant over 5 years for a range of purposes, but, currently does not contain
guaranteed prevention money -- despite a guarantee that 60% of funds will be used for juvenile
facilities, sanctions, drug testing, and record-keeping. After the Jonesboro incident, Majority Leader
Lott stated publicly that they may bring up S. 10 some time in the next few months, although he has
made no commitment to do so soon.
STATUS OF NEGOTIATIONS
Most of the focus of energy and attention is now on S.10 because it can still be amended or defeated
on the floor. The White House and Justice Department are not opposing S. 10, although both see
serious flaws in it. This has helped create a pervasive sense on the Hill that the President is likely to
sign a juvenile crime bill regardless of the harmful provisions that it contains. They believe this view
is due to signals sent by the President's senior advisers, specifically Rahm Emanuel. Of course, the
pervasiveness of this view makes it all the more difficult to amend S.10 for the better, a situation
which is particularly frustrating to the Justice Department. It is because of this frustration that they
are contacting you.
At the same time, Justice is concerned about the fact that many progressive interest groups, including
the Children's Defense Fund, the NAACP, and the ACLU, are taking affirmative steps to block
passage of S. 10. These groups believe that its objectionable provisions far outweigh the good that it
might produce and that the various legislative proposals under consideration in this area abandon the
rehabilitative approach to juvenile justice in favor of pure punishment. More specifically, they are
concerned about provisions in both H.R. 3 and S.10 which increase prosecutions of juveniles as
adults, expand access to juvenile records, and erode the "core requirements" (a.k.a. "fundamental
protections") -- especially the requirement of separation of delinquents from adults in state custody.
The groups' opposition is apparently persuading some Senate Democrats, who are content to seek
prevention funds through the appropriation process and abandon S.10. The progressive groups are
asking us to at least threaten to veto the bill.
We have rejected this approach, choosing instead to try to modify or eliminate the most
objectionable parts of S.10., while retaining the crime-fighting provisions we believe it already
contains. Our view has been that the bill's reforms to the federal juvenile system, including increased
prosecutorial discretion and greater protections for victims and witnesses, are very important. Many
of its amendments to federal criminal law that will make it easier for prosecutors to combat gangs,
guns, and drugs came straight out of the Administration's bill. Consequently, the Administration has
been working to effect critical changes to S. 10, primarily dedicated prevention funds, preservation
of the core mandates, judicial safeguards for juveniles in the federal system, and far greater flexibility
for states in the administration of their own juvenile justice systems.
As the attached memo from the Attorney General indicates, the Department of Justice would like any
juvenile justice legislation to contain the following three provisions: statutory authorization of at least
$95 million for prevention programs administered by the Department of Justice; statutory
authorization of at least $100 million for state and local prosecutors and courts; and preservation of
the four "fundamental protections" addressing the incarceration of juveniles. While the White House
shares these concerns about S. 10, we have not been vocal in our demands for their inclusion in any
final bill. And in regards to the prevention funding, there are many different vehicles for such
funding -- while the Attorney General's goal is prevention money administered by the Department of
Justice, our attempts to secure such funding have not been successful in past appropriation
processes. In fact, the White House has been content in the past to secure either block grant funding
to the states or funding in other streams, such as the Department of Education.
Precisely because the groups feel that we are not realistically likely to improve the legislation, they
are mobilizing forces to oppose it. Indeed, the opposition of groups from all sides of the political
spectrum has meant that until recently, there was very little pressure to move the bill. Only after the
Jonesboro incident have some Senate Republican leaders started to clamor for a floor vote.
However, many believe the bill is still in trouble and may not move onto the floor until the summer.
PROGRESSIVE GROUPS' CONCERNS
While the groups have raised many issues in regards to S. 10, the following are of greatest concern
to them:
1. Erosion of federal protections for juvenile delinquents in state custody (especially housing
juveniles with adults)
2. Prosecuting juveniles as adults
3. Increased mandatory minimums
4. Expanded access to juvenile records
1. Erosion of Federal Protections for Juveniles in State Custody (especially housing juveniles with
adults)
The groups are very upset that S.10 might permit the housing of juvenile delinquents with adults in
state custody. They fear a return to the levels of abuse and suicide that prompted the separation
requirements in the first place. Current law requires states to satisfy the following conditions,
popularly understood as the core requirements or fundamental protections, in order to obtain the
formula grant money administered by the Office of Juvenile Justice Delinquency Programs: 1)
separation of juveniles from adults by sight and sound separation in all institutions while in state
custody; 2) removal of juveniles from adult jails and lock-ups; 3) deinstitutionalization of status
offenders; and 4) disproportionate minority confinement. S. 10 would greatly weaken the separation
requirement, eliminate the removal requirement, provide large exceptions to the requirement to
deinstitutionalize status offenders, and virtually eliminate the requirement to avoid disproportionate
minority confinement. We share the groups' vehement objection to these provisions in S.10 which
essentially gut these requirements.
2. Prosecuting Juveniles as Adults
The groups are distressed that the new bills expand the list of offenses for which a juvenile may be
tried as an adult in the federal system, and give U.S. Attorneys the discretion to charge juveniles as
adults. They think these changes give prosecutors too much power and unnecessarily "federalize"
juvenile crime. The Administration's bill also proposed expanding the list of offenses for which a
juvenile could be tried as an adult in the federal system, and gave U.S. Attorneys the discretion to
charge juveniles as adults -- although we provided for judicial review of this decision in all but the
most serious cases. The Administration's position is that increased prosecutorial discretion is critical
because the current process for determining whether a juvenile may be tried as an adult is often
highly unpredictable and fraught with delay.
The groups are even more upset that the new bills would require, as a condition of receipt of new
federal juvenile justice money, that States prosecute more juveniles as adults. S. 10 makes it a
condition that juveniles 14 and older may be prosecuted under State law as adults for an act that
would be a serious violent felony if committed by an adult. H.R. 3's condition is even stricter: States
must provide that juveniles 15 or older charged with serious violent crimes can be tried as adults
either as a matter of law or prosecutorial discretion.
3. Mandatory Minimum Sentences:
The groups oppose mandatory minimums in general, and are particularly upset that: 1) more
juveniles will be subject to existing ones if tried as adults, and 2) S.10 increases certain existing
mandatory minimums as well as creates several entirely new ones.
The Administration's bill proposed only one new mandatory minimum: 3 years for the transfer of a
handgun to a juvenile knowing it will be used to commit a crime of violence. The Administration's
bill also raised existing mandatory minimums (from 1 to 3 years) for the most egregious forms of
drug trafficking: selling drugs to children, using children to sell drugs, and selling drugs near schools.
While S. 10 includes versions of both of those provisions, it also includes several new mandatories,
such as 5 years for a "pattern" of criminal gang activity, and 25 years for a second offense under the
new "pattern of gang activity" statute. We have stated from the outset our concerns about these
attempts to crack down on gangs.
4. Expanding Access to Juvenile Records
The groups are angry that the new bills drastically increase access to juvenile records, especially state
records. They argue, correctly, that most juvenile offenders never return to the justice system, and
youthful indiscretion should not follow them forever. Specifically, many of them see this as one
more unnecessary obstacle many young black men will face in trying to seek employment.
The Administration's legislation proposes incentive grants to help states modernize their juvenile
record keeping systems. However, S. 10 and H.R. 3 go much further, imposing a requirement on
States to fingerprint and photograph juveniles, keep most juvenile records in a manner equivalent to
adult records, send juvenile records to the FBI and, under the Senate bill, dramatically expand access
to those records by schools, courts, and law enforcement of any jurisdiction. The Administration is
strenuously opposing this condition because it is extraordinarily intrusive and expensive; it is one
area on which S. 10's lead authors, Hatch and DeWine, have signaled flexibility.
THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Press Secretary
(Kampala, Uganda)
For Immediate Release
March 25, 1998
REMARKS BY THE PRESIDENT
UPON DEPARTURE
Entebbe Airport
Entebbe, Uganda
11:05 AM (L)
THE PRESIDENT: Just before I left the hotel this morning, I talked to the Governor
of Arkansas and extended my personal condolences and sorrow about the terrible incident in
Jonesboro yesterday. I attempted to call the mayor, who is an old friend of mine, but I
haven't reached him yet.
I just want to say again how profoundly sad I am and how disturbed I am. I've been
thinking about this for the last several hours. This is the third incident in the last few months
involving young children and violence in schools, and I'm going to ask the Attorney General
to find whatever experts there are in our country on this and try to analyze this terrible
tragedy to see whether there are any common elements in this incident and the other two, and
whether it indicates any further action on our part.
Today the people in my home state and a town I know very well are grieving. They're
suffering losses. And we should focus on that. But I do think in the weeks to come we have
to analyze these incidents and see whether or not we can learn anything that will tell us what
we can do to prevent further ones.
Q
Do you have any thoughts about how to stop this? I mean, if you've been
thinking about it, anything come to mind, sir?
THE PRESIDENT: I don't want to say too much until we have a chance to analyze
them. I don't want the American people to jump to any conclusions, but when three horrible
tragedies like this involving young people who take other people's lives and then in the
process destroy their own, we have to see if there are some common elements. And we'll
look and do our best to do the right thing.
Q
Do you suspect that there are some common elements, sir?
THE PRESIDENT: Well, the circumstances certainly seem to have a lot in common.
What we need to know is what's behind the circumstances. As I said, I think that the
American people today should send their thoughts, their prayers, their hopes to the people in
Jonesboro. But in the weeks ahead we need to look into this very closely and see what, if
anything, we can find. And then if we do find some patterns, we ought to take whatever
action seems appropriate.
Q
Your trip to Rwanda, could you give us just a little advance word of what you
hope to accomplish there, sir?
THE PRESIDENT: Obviously, I hope that my trip there will help to avoid further
killing along the ethnic lines, and bring the attention of the world to this in a way that will
have an impact on ethnic conflicts in other parts of the world. And then I'm going to come
back here to the regional meeting that President Museveni has agreed to host, and I hope we'll
come out with a statement there that will allow us to make further progress.
Thank you.
END11:08 AM (L)
THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Press Secretary
(Cape Town, South Africa)
Embargoed For Release
Until 10:06 A.M. EST
Saturday, March 28, 1998
RADIO ADDRESS OF THE PRESIDENT
TO THE NATION
Cape Town, South Africa
THE PRESIDENT: Good morning.. In the storefronts and shop windows of
Jonesboro, Arkansas, there are signs that read, "Our hearts are with West Side Middle School."
Even though Hillary and I are far away from our home state, our hearts, too, are with West Side,
and with the grieving families whose loved ones were killed or injured in that tragic incident just
four days ago.
This is the third time in recent months that a quiet town, and our nation, have been
shaken by the awful specter of the families of Jonesboro and all America in mourning this
terrible loss of young like -- life so full of promise and hope so cruelly cut short.
We mourn the loss of Natalie Brooke, of Paige Ann Herring, of Stephanie
Johnson, of Brittany Varner, and of a heroic teacher, Shannon Wright, who sacrificed her own
life to save a child. These five names will be etched in our memories forever, and linked forever
with the names of Nicole Hadley, Jessica James, and Casey Steger, of Paducah, Kentucky; and
Lydia Kaye Dew and Christian Menefee of Pearl, Mississippi. Our thoughts and our prayers are
with all their families today.
We do not understand what drives children, whether in small towns or big cities,
to pick up guns and take the lives of others. We may never make sense of the senseless, but we
have to try. We have seen a community come together in grief and compassion for one another,
and in the determination that terrible acts like these must no longer threaten our nation's children.
Parents across America should welcome the news reported just this month by
Attorney General Reno and Education Secretary Riley that the vast majority of our schools are
safe and free of violent crime. We've worked hard to make our schools places of learning, not
fear; places where children can worry about math and science, not guns, drugs, and gangs. But
when a terrible tragedy like this occurs, it reminds us there is work yet to be done.
I have directed Attorney General Reno to bring together experts on school
violence to analyze these incidents to determine what they have in common and whether there
are further steps we can take to reduce the likelihood of something so terrible reoccurring.
Already we've seen the remarkable difference community policing has made in
our nation's streets. Now we have to apply that same energy and resolve to our schools to make
the safer places for children to learn, play, and grow. At school there must be full compliance
with our policy of zero tolerance toward guns, and at home there should be no easy access to
weapons that kill.
Protecting our children from school violence is more than a matter of law or
policy, at heart, it is a matter of basic values, of conscience and community. We must teach our
children to respect others. We must instill in them a deep, abiding sense of right and wrong.
And to children who are troubled, angry, or alone, we must extend a hand before they destroy the
lives of others and destroy their own in the process.
We have to understand that young children may not fully appreciate the
consequences of actions that are destructive, but may be able to be romanticized at a twisted
moment. And we have to make sure that they don't fall into that trap.
Three towns: Jonesboro, Pearl, Paducah -- too many precious lives lost. The
white ribbons that flutter today in my home state of Arkansas are a poignant and powerful
challenge to all of us -- a challenge to come together for the sake of our children and for the
future of our nation.
Thanks for listening.
END
THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Press Secretary
(Gabarone, Botswana)
For Immediate Release
March 29, 1998
VIDEOTAPED REMARKS BY THE PRESIDENT
FOR THE MEMORIAL SERVICES IN
JONESBORO, ARKANSAS
THE PRESIDENT: Hillary and I wish we could be with you all as you
remember and give thanks for the lives of Natalie Brooks, Paige Ann Herring, Stephanie
Johnson, Brittany Varner, and Shannon Wright.
Our prayers have been with their families and with all of you over these past few
days. Every one of them made Jonesboro a better place. Every one of them had much to live for
and much still to give. For now, you must all be thankful for the cherished memories you have.
Like all of you, I do not understand what dark force could have driven young
people to do this terrible thing. As President, I have seen many children killed by political
fanatics, but in some ways, this is even harder to grasp. For now, all we can do is to pray for
peace and healing for their families and for Jonesboro. And, indeed, we should pray for the
families of the two young suspects, for their suffering, too, must be grievous.
Saint Paul reminds us that we all see things in this life through a dark glass, that
we only partly understand what is happening to us. But one day, face to face with God, we will
see all things, even as He sees us.
For four fine young girls and an outstanding teacher, that day has come. May
God bless them, their families, and all of you.
END
THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Press Secretary
For Immediate Release
March 19, 1998
REMARKS BY THE PRESIDENT
AT SCHOOL SAFETY EVENT
The Grand Foyer
2:09 P.M. EST
THE PRESIDENT: Thank you very much, Superintendent
Berg; Madam Attorney General; Senator Robb, thank you so much for
your efforts. Congressman Castle, thank you. Mayor Donnelly,
welcome and I want to say a special word of welcome to all of the
students. I'm glad you're here today and I thank you for the example
you're setting for students throughout our country.
I also want to commend the students who were the winners
of the state math and science award earlier this month. This school
is proving that by taking the right kind of action -- working with
law enforcement, enforcing zero tolerance for guns and drugs,
involving parents, establishing discipline and order as primary
goals. We can keep our schools safe and give our children the chance
to reach their highest potential.
Now, in less than 650 days, all of us will enter a new
century and a new millennium. At a time when we're doing everything
we can to prepare our children for the opportunities of that new
century, at a time when we know that the body of knowledge that human
beings have is doubling every five years and, therefore, education
will be more important than ever before, we cannot let violence,
guns, drugs stand between our children and the education they need.
For more than five years, we've worked now to make our
schools places of learning, not fear. We have worked to strengthen
and expand the Safe and Drug-Free Schools Program, to enforce zero
tolerance for guns in schools, to encourage communities to crack down
on truancies, to support those who wish to adopt school uniform
policies. Wearing uniforms instead of gang colors in many places is
helping to keep our children safe.
It was just a little over two years ago that I went to
Long Beach, California, the first large school district to adopt a
school uniform policy. Since then, Secretary Riley and the
Department of Education have worked to help those schools that wanted
to do that. Yesterday, the New York City School Board announced that
it would adopt a school uniform policy in all its elementary schools.
I applaud them for taking this important step, and I predict it will
have very beneficial consequences.
Our budget makes an unprecedented commitment as we are
moving into balance for the first time in 30 years to invest for our
future, by raising standards and improving education for all our
children, and to make our schools safer. We know schools with the
biggest discipline problems also have the highest rates of violence.
Very often, there are simply too many students and too few classrooms
with not enough teachers. Our budget, as Senator Robb said, will
help that, will help to reduce class sizes to an average of 18
students per class in the 1st, 2nd and 3rd grades, with 100,000 more
teachers and funds to build or rehabilitate 5,000 schools.
Perhaps even more important in the short run on the
violence issue -- and I was glad to hear Mr. Berg talk about this
--it will quadruple federal support for after-school programs to keep
children in school in wholesome, positive environments. We know that
most children who get in trouble do so between the time school lets
out and their folks get home from work. So I applaud you for what
you're doing and I hope now if this budget passes there will be many,
many more schools, until every school in America will offer this kind
of community support to our young people and their families.
(Applause.)
The fundamental issue here is that we do not need to and
we must not ever have to make a choice between safety and high
standards, between crime-free schools and modern classrooms. We must
do both. I regret that the present budget, reported out by the
Majority in Congress, does not embody that kind of commitment to
education in our future, does not embody the recommendations I made
in the State of the Union Address.
Today, I ask the Republican leadership to join with the
leaders of the other party to get with the Democrats and to work with
the White House so that we can once again, as we have in the past,
pass a bipartisan budget that puts education beyond politics and says
yes to safer schools, yes to new teachers and smaller classes, yes to
modernizing our schools, yes to investing in high standards. We need
to have a budget that says yes to our children's future.
The Nationwide Report on School Safety that is being
released today by the Attorney General and the Secretary of Education
shows clearly that the majority of our schools are safe, free of
violent crime. That is good news. It also shows, however, that too
many of our children face a far more frightening reality every time
they walk through the schoolhouse door. In 1996 alone there were
more than 10,000 physical attacks or fights with weapons in schools;
7,000 robberies; 4,000 rapes and sexual assaults. The threat of such
violence hangs over children's heads and closes their minds to
learning. When children have to worry more about guns and drugs than
math and science, when teachers are more concerned with maintaining
discipline than achieving excellence, when parents would rather keep
their children at home than risk their safety at school, then we know
we must do more; and if there is even one school in America where
that is the case, we must all be committed to change it. We already
know the difference community policing makes.
Since we began to help our local communities to put
100,000 more community policy officers on our streets, crime has
dropped to record lows all over our country. Indeed, in the nation
overall, crime is at a 24-year low. I thank Senator Robb for his
sponsorship for the $17.5 million in the balanced budget bill which
is now being awarded today in grants to communities, parents and law
enforcement groups to put these community policing strategies to work
in our schools, to stop violence before it starts.
The more we know about school violence, we more we can
do to ensure our children's safety. Last December, I asked the
Attorney General and Secretary Riley to develop an annual report on
school safety. Today, I'm pleased to accept their framework for
these reports. From now on at the beginning of every school year,
parents and principals, lawmakers and law enforcement will have a
valuable tool that tracks school violence, gives examples of school
programs that are working, and suggests actions parents can take to
make their children's lives safer at school.
We know one of the best ways to reduce violence is to
involve the young people themselves. In the last several years,
AmeriCorps volunteers particularly have helped hundreds of students
to resolve their conflicts peacefully. This adds to AmeriCorps'
remarkable record of helping improve our schools and communities
through volunteer service.
Parenthetically, I want to say that today we had an
announcement up on the Hill with the First Lady participating that we
are sending legislation to Congress to extend our national service
program into the 21st Century; I hope Congress will support
AmeriCorps as it has in the past. (Applause.)
Let me say, finally, as Mr. Berg said so eloquently, we
know that all of our schools need parents to play the primary role in
their children's safety, both in the school and in the home, and when
necessary, in the neighborhood.
Today, I ask all our parents who are concerned about
this to become involved in your communities and your children's
schools; to join a community policing partnership. Senator Robb got
the budget, we're releasing the funds, we can talk about what works;
but in the end, real live American citizens are going to have to show
up in every school in this country to make this work.
You know, if you look at these young people here today,
if you think about the remarkable achievements of this fine school we
honor, if you imagine the interesting, fascinating lives they can
have, and you remember that, as they have good lives it will make all
the rest of our lives better, it is clear that we all have a
responsibility to ensure that their educations will be safe. We can
do this and America's future in the 21st Century depends upon it.
Thank you very much. (Applause.)
END
2:18 P.M. EST
FACT SHEET: Making Our Schools and Communities Safer
Strengthening and Expanding the Safe and Drug-Free Schools and Communities Act. In 1994, President
Clinton and the Congress expanded the Drug-Free Schools Act into the Safe and Drug-Free Schools Act, making
violence prevention a key part of this program. The Safe and Drug-Free Schools Program provides support for
violence and drug prevention programs to 97% of the nation's school districts. Schools use these funds to keep
violence, drugs and alcohol away from students and out of schools. The President's FY99 budget expands
the Safe and Drug-Free Schools program by $50 million to fund 1,300 Drug and Violence Prevention
Coordinators to help junior high and middle schools across the country develop and implement effective
strategies to keep our kids safe and away from drugs.
Providing After School Opportunities for Up to Half a Million Children a Year. Last year, the
President fought for, and won, a $40 million expansion of the 21st Century Community Learning
Centers program. Building on the success of this program, the President's FY99 budget includes a
$200 million major expansion, which will provide safe and educational after school opportunities for up
to 500,000 children. This increase will give more school-age children in rural and urban communities
across the country positive learning opportunities and keep more kids off the streets in the after school
hours when most violent juvenile crime occurs.
Gaining New Tools to Protect Our Youth from Violence and Drugs. Key elements of the
President's Anti-Gang Youth Violence Strategy were included in the FY98 Commerce-Justice-State
Appropriations Act. These funding measures -- $489 million for juvenile justice -- will give
communities, schools, and families new tools to help keep kids safe from gangs and violence, and away
from drugs. Included in this funding is over $110 million for prosecutors to curb gang violence, as
well as funding for violent juvenile court assistance, that can help to fund probations officers -- both
important elements of the President's Anti-Gang Youth Violence Strategy.
Encouraging Schools to Adopt School Uniform Policies. School uniforms have been found to be a
promising strategy to reduce violence while promoting discipline and respect in school. Because of this,
the Clinton Administration has encouraged schools to consider adopting school uniform policies by sharing with
every school district a school uniforms manual prepared by the Department of Education in consultation with
local communities and the Department of Justice.
Supporting Curfews at the Local Level. Because of the success of curfews in helping to fight juvenile crime
and keeping children safe, the Clinton Administration has encouraged communities to adopt curfew policies.
Studies have shown, including one issued by the Justice Department, that community-supported curfew programs
are often successful in combating juvenile crime. For example, New Orleans' curfew program, in combination
with summer jobs and recreational programs, resulted in a 27% drop in juvenile crime during curfew hours in
1994, compared to the previous year.
Cracking Down on Truancy. Truancy prevention initiatives have been shown to keep more children in school
and dramatically reduce daytime crime. The President, through the Education Department, issued a guidebook to
the 15,000 school districts nationwide outlining the central characteristics of a comprehensive truancy prevention
policy and highlighting model initiatives in cities and towns across the country.
Encouraging Conflict Resolution. The Departments of Education and Justice have developed and distributed
40,000 conflict resolution guides to schools and community organizations, providing guidance on how to develop
effective conflict resolution programs.
Keeping Guns Out of the Hands of Children
Fewer Guns in the Hands of Our Children. President Clinton signed into law a youth handgun ban in his
1994 Crime Bill. The ban makes it a federal offense for an adult to transfer a handgun to a juvenile, or for a
juvenile under the age of 18 to knowingly possess a handgun or handgun ammunition.
Enforcing Zero Tolerance for Guns and Other Weapons in Schools. In October 1994, President Clinton
signed into law the Gun-Free Schools Act, and issued a Presidential Directive later that month to enforce "zero
tolerance" for guns in schools if a student brings a gun to school, that student will be expelled for a year.
Since the policy's enactment, preliminary estimates show that approximately 6,000 students have been expelled
for bringing weapons to schools, and the vast majority of those expulsions involved guns.
Youth Crime Gun Interdiction Initiative. The President launched the Youth Crime Gun Interdiction Initiative
(YCGII) in 27 target cities to crack down on illegal gun markets that supply firearms to juveniles and criminals.
The YCGII has already traced more than 93,000 guns, providing law enforcement with crucial investigative
leads about illegal gun trafficking. The President's FY99 budget includes $12 million for the Bureau of Alcohol,
Tobacco, and Firearms (ATF) to work with local police departments in the 27 target cities to trace all firearms
recovered from crime scenes and help determine local gun trafficking patterns. The budget also provides $16
million to hire 162 new ATF agents, 6 per target city, to investigate and arrest the illegal gun traffickers who are
supplying guns to kids and gangs.
Child Safety Locks for Handguns. The President signed a directive to every federal agency, requiring child
safety locking devices with every handgun issued to federal law enforcement officers. And, in an historic
agreement, eight major gun manufacturers followed the President's lead and have voluntarily agreed to provide
child safety locking devices with all their handguns.
Combating Drug and Alcohol Use by Young People
Targeting Young People with a $195 Million National Anti-Drug Media Campaign. The President is
launching a massive national media campaign to motivate America's youth to reject illegal drugs and substance
abuse. This unprecedented $195 million paid media campaign relies on high-impact, anti-drug television and
radio advertisements aired during prime-time. The campaign began in January with ads in 12 pilot cities;
in June, the campaign will go nationwide.
Building and Strengthening 14,000 Community Anti-Drug Coalitions. President Clinton signed into law the
bipartisan Drug-Free Communities Program this year, which will provide $143.5 million over the next five years
to help community coalitions rid their streets of drugs.
Zero Alcohol Tolerance Laws for Youth. Calling for action to reduce the deaths and injuries brought about by
alcohol use and driving by teens, the President signed a law in November 1995, which required states to have
"Zero Alcohol Tolerance" laws for youth by Oct. 1, 1998, or risk losing highway funds. To date, 46 states and
the District of Columbia have enacted zero tolerance laws, which prohibit youths under age 21 to drive with any
measurable amount of alcohol in their system. In addition, the President is fighting for safe and sober streets by
urging Congress to pass legislation to set a nationwide limit for impaired driving at .08 blood alcohol content for
adult drivers.
PRESIDENT CLINTON'S REMARKS AT SCHOOL SAFETY EVENT
Grand Foyer, The White House
March 19, 1998
Today, President Clinton will speak to approximately sixty individuals from the education and law
enforcement communities, as well as Members of Congress, on the findings of a new survey on
school crime. The President will also announce new federal funds for school safety and receive
the framework of a new report on school safety that has been jointly prepared by the Attorney
General and the Secretary of Education. The President will announce: (1) the findings of the first-
ever national survey of school principals on violence and discipline in U.S. schools; (2) the
availability of $17.5 million in new funding for school safety from the President's COPS program;
and (3) recommendations by the Attorney General and Secretary of Education for an Annual
Report on School Safety. (See attached fact sheet)
The President will be introduced by Herb Berg, Superintendent of Alexandria (VA) Public
Schools. He will give an account of the success that T.C. Williams High School has achieved in
reducing crime and violence. As a large, urban high school, T.C. Williams is at risk for serious
and violent crime problems. However, through effective law enforcement, parent involvement,
and prevention programs, its crime and discipline problems have been significantly reduced.
Order of Speakers
Attorney General Janet Reno
Herb Berg, Superintendent of Alexandria Public Schools
President Clinton
TO:
The First Lady, Melanne Verveer
FROM:
Jen Klein, Neera Tanden
DATE:
April 9, 1998
RE:
After Jonesboro
In light of the Jonesboro tragedy, national attention has been focused on violence committed by
children. This memo outlines possible steps you can take to highlight efforts to deal with causes
and consequences of this tragedy and youth violence in general.
In addition to your column for the week of April 6th, there are three forms of action you may
take:
1. Participate in Justice Department Expert Panel on School Federal Action: The President
recently directed Attorney General Reno to bring together experts on school violence to analyze
these incidents to determine what they have in common and whether there are further steps the
federal government can take to reduce the likelihood they will recur. This Justice Department
expert panel provides an opportunity for you to engage in on-going discussion of the Jonesboro
tragedy and help highlight the problem of school violence. The Justice Department is now
selecting the panel of experts and hopes to convene the first meeting on April 24th, a day on
which your schedule is more flexible.
2. Focus on approaches that work:
A. Educational Efforts: You could focus attention on particular efforts to educate young people
about gun violence, such as STAR, an initiative promoted by Handgun Control, Inc. STAR,
which stands for Straight Talk About Risks, is a gun violence prevention program for school-aged
youth and their families. STAR is a primary prevention program, premised on the belief that all
U.S. children and teens are at risk of gun injury or deaths. STAR is designed to help youth
develop victim prevention skills and to rehearse behaviors needed to manage problems, such as
conflict and peer pressure, non-violently without guns. STAR is currently being used by selected
schools in over 70 municipalities nationwide, including the nation's largest school systems: New
York City, Los Angeles, Chicago and Dade County. STAR has also been effectively implemented
as police-led crime prevention initiatives, and in conjunction with recreation and health education
programs. STAR materials include: skill building activities for grade pre-K through 12;
awareness materials designed to promote parent and community involvement; video presentations;
and in-service training materials among other things.
B. Crime-Prevention Strategies: You could focus attention on community-based crime
prevention initiatives that work to reduce violence and tensions at schools and in the community.
Such initiatives include strong partnerships between police and youth organizations that reach out
to at-risk youth by giving first-time minor offenders recreational and skill-building opportunities.
These local efforts are taking place all over the country as law enforcement increasingly
recognizes that prevention strategies work. Some of these initiatives are highlighted in a new
report titled Kids, Cops and Communities, which the Justice Department will release in late April.
3. Address Deeper Cultural Challenges: Continue your efforts to confront the elements of
national culture that celebrate violence in speeches and other forums. Such an effort can also
include specific challenges to gun manufacturers to stop targeting our children. According to
articles in the Washington Post and Wall Street Journal, both gun manufacturers and the NRA are
targeting children in an effort to make guns more attractive to them. This is part of an overall
strategy to ensure demand for guns into the future because the adult gun market is becoming
saturated.
04/01/98 15:41 FAX 202 456 5557
DOMESTIC POLICY COUNCIL
Kids, Guns, and School Violence
Implementation of President's Directive: The existing working group on school violence, led
by the Associate Attorney General and the Acting Deputy Secretary of Education, will assume
responsibility for President Clinton's new directive; namely, convening national experts to
analyze the Arkansas tragedy, seeing what it may have in common with other recent school
shootings, and determining what we might do to prevent such tragedies from occurring again.
Ongoing Assistance to Schools and Communities
Our efforts to reduce youth gun violence focus on two tracks: 1) reduce children's easy access to
guns; and 2) change their casual attitudes toward guns. DOJ initiatives in both areas include:
The COPS Program
$78.5 M to support over 2,000 community police officers in schools
$12M to help communities assess the causes of violence in their own
schools and to respond when it happens
$5M to assist districts in implementing particularly promising strategies to
reduce school violence
Youth Crime Gun Interdiction Initiative (with the Department of Treasury)
Tracks the supply of guns to juveniles and youth gang members.
Partnerships to Reduce Juvenile Gun Violence ($1M)
Pilots concentrated efforts to reduce children's access to guns in 4 cities:
Shreveport, Baton Rouge, Oakland, and Syracuse.
National School Safety Center ($625K)
Shares best practices for making schools safer, both through reducing guns
and drugs and through teaching alternatives to violence.
Hamilton Fish National Institute on School and Community Violence ($2.1M)
A consortium of 8 universities, the Institute is testing and demonstrating 8
violence reduction strategies in elementary, middle, and high schools.
Illinois Institute for Dispute Resolution ($250K this year, $650K next year)
Provides schools with on-site training for conflict resolution.
Study on the Appropriate Use of Security Technologies in Public Schools ($202K)
With NIJ funds, Sandia National Labs is creating a manual on security
technologies for school administrators and law enforcement to increase
security in public schools. Available in late 1998.
In addition, we must find more ways to enhance school security; e.g., draw on lessons from the
Energy Department and other federal experts on security to help respond to the needs of schools.
04/01/98 15:41 FAX 202 456 5557
DOMESTIC POLICY COUNCIL
003
Needed Changes in Federal Law
Amend the Youth Handgun Safety Act
The Administration's Juvenile Justice Bill would raise penalties for juveniles who
possess handguns, and for adults who transfer handguns to juveniles knowing (or having
reasonable cause to know) they intend to use them in the commission of crimes of
violence.
Extend the Brady Law
The bill would also close the loophole in existing law that permits young people who
commit serious and violent offenses to purchase handguns as soon as they become adults.
Crack Down on Illegal Gun Markets
The bill would increase penalties for straw purchases, for receipt of guns with obliterated
serial numbers, and for gang-related firearms offenses.
Expand Title V (The At-Risk Children's Initiative)
Perhaps most importantly, the bill would provide substantial funding to states and
communities to implement crime prevention initiatives, such as conflict resolution
programs that teach children to address their frustration and conflicts without resorting to
violence.
We need to explore every possible legislative option to keep illegal guns out of the hands of
children. If we are to stop these tragedies in schools, and to reduce youth crime generally, we
must shut down the routes by which children illegally acquire guns.
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