Revisions to Crime Bill

The Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994 was signed into law by President Clinton on 13 September 1994 (Idleson, 1995, pp. 367-369). There was strong opposition to the bill in the Congress prior to its passage (Masci, 1994, pp. 2488-2492). The lunatic fringe of the Republican Party now in control of the House of Representatives appears bent on revising the Crime Bill of 1994 in ways that will split the Republican Party (Gest, 1994, pp. 31-32). The source of most of the opposition to the Crime Bill of 1994 was and remains a band of Republican legislators who would vote against a resolution praising God if such a resolution were offered by President Clinton or indeed by any Democrat. The game of political insanity being played by congressional Republicans, however, does not mean that serious and thoughtful opposition does not or should not exist in relation to various provisions of the crime bill or to the omission from that bill of various proposals dealing with crime.

This research examines the Crime Bill of 1994 and the proposed changes to the bill now being debated in the Congress. The primary focus of this examination is on the impact of the Crime Bill and the proposed revisions on the states. A more important consideration, however, is the impact of the Crime Bill and the proposed revisions on the incidence of criminal behavior in the United States. The Crime Bill and the proposed revi

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Arguments for and against the death penalty are well known to every rational adult American who is not mentally defective (Idleson, 1994, pp. 2137-2140). Neither side is likely to be persuaded by the arguments of the other. The bill permits accused persons as young as 13 to be tried as adults for the offenses of murder, assault, rape, and robbery. Opponents contend that it is uncivilized to try such young persons as adults. Proponents contend that it is uncivilized to murder, assault, rape, and rob. Again, both positions overlook the fact that this provision of the bill does not apply to state courts where most such trials occur. Both positions also overlook the fact that many states already permit persons even younger than 13 to be tried as adults for such crimes (Idleson, 1994, pp. 2137-2140). The crime prevention section of the bill also establishes programs for drug offender treatment, education programs designed to steer young people away from criminal behavior, and public safety awareness programs (Idleson, 1994, p. 673). A complex community qualification formula for these programs generates some of the opposition to the programs. Local unemployment rates, local taxation levels, and community affluence are all fac
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Approximate Word count = 3639
Approximate Pages = 15 (250 words per page)

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