NCJ Number
159374
Date Published
1996
Length
8 pages
Annotation
Joseph Biden, chairman of the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee, advocates a major crime bill designed to reduce violent crimes by mandating imprisonment for violent offenders, increasing the number of police officers nationwide, and reducing the number of guns on the street.
Abstract
He notes that the United Nations has the highest per capita murder rate in the world and that younger children are committing violent crimes. Since 1983, the number of juveniles arrested for murder has increased by 142 percent. The key is to ensure violent criminals know that punishment will be severe and certain. This does not appear to be the case, since violent offenders serve only about 40 percent of their sentences in many States. The debate over violence prevention must be framed in terms of what works rather than in terms of what sounds tough. Violence prevention must be based on the following factors that contribute to violence: violent adults were often abuse victims as children; lack of a male role model in the home is related to criminal behavior; the link between violent crime and illegal drugs is unquestionable; and gun availability means that crime is increasingly lethal. Specific anticrime measures and police efforts are described, with particular attention paid to the need to stop family and child abuse.