Organization: University of Illinois at Chicago
Date: Thursday, 8 Oct 1992 22:04:29 CDT
From: <U56503@uicvm.uic.edu>
Newsgroups: alt.politics.clinton
Subject: ==> Clinton/Gore On Crime

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Information in the public interest which does not imply that it
is the opinion of UIC.  Contact 75300.3115@compuserve.com for
further information.
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          CLINTON/GORE ON CRIME AND DRUGS



Despite all the tough talk on crime we hear from
Washington, crime and drug use are expanding
dramatically in America.  We have a national
problem on our hands that requires a tough national
response.  Bill Clinton has a national crime
strategy that will use the powers of the Presidency
to prevent and punish crime.

We need to put more police on the streets of our
cities, to allow the same law enforcement officers
to walk the same blocks day in and day out, to work
as friends with their neighbors to prevent crime
from happening, as well as to catch criminals after
crime occurs.

We cant go four more years without a plan to fight
crime and drugs in our cities and in our schools.
You may not agree with everything in Bill Clintons
plan, but you have a right to know what hell do and
where he stands.

Make neighborhoods safe again

*    Fight crime by putting 100,000 new police
     officers on the streets; create a National
     Police Corps and offer veterans and active
     military personnel a chance to become law
     enforcement officers.

*    Give young offenders a second opportunity to
     become decent citizens by supporting the
     creation of boot camps  for non-violent
     first-time offenders.  These shock
     incarceration programs require rigorous
     exercise and arduous work to instill
     discipline, boost self-esteem, and teach
     decency and respect for the law.

Expand federal crime assistance

*    Set standards for urban, suburban, and rural
     crime emergency areas.  Make communities hit
     hardest by crime eligible for federal matching
     funds to assist in the war on crime when they
     create a comprehensive crime control plan that
     gets results and adopts proven anti-crime
     measures like:

*    Community-based policing: In communities
     across America, local law enforcement
     officials are stopping crimes before they
     happen by moving from emergency response to
     community-based law enforcement.  By taking
     officers out of patrol cars and putting
     increasing numbers back on the beat, cities
     are winning the war on crime.

*    Drug treatment on demand: Thousands of addicts
     have volunteered to take themselves off the
     streets, only to hear the government tell them
     that they have to wait six months.  In a
     Clinton Administration, federal assistance
     will help communities dramatically increase
     their ability to offer drug treatment to
     everyone who needs help.

*    Drug education in schools: With only 5 percent
     of the worlds population, Americans consume
     approximately 50 percent of all illegal drugs.
     To decrease demand, we need to reach our kids
     when they are young and teach them the evils
     of drug abuse.  Drug education programs and
     school-based clinics must provide our children
     with access to the drug counseling, education,
     and outreach programs they need to stop drug
     addiction before it begins.

Keep guns out of the hands of criminals

*    Provide the leadership we need to pass the
     Brady Bill, which will create a waiting period
     for handgun purchases to keep firearms off the
     streets and out of the hands of criminals.

*    Ban assault weapons like the so-called Street
     Sweeper that have no legitimate hunting
     purpose; limit access to multiple-round clips
     like the one used in the tragic killings in
     Killeen, Texas.

Empower public housing residents

*    Give residents of public housing the chance to
     organize themselves to eliminate the drugs and
     weapons from public housing; support efforts
     like Operation Clean Sweep in Chicago, which
     helps residents take back their housing from
     gangs and dealers.

Take back our schools

*    Create a Safe Schools Initiative, so that
     children can focus on learning again.  We will
     increase funding to pay for metal detectors
     and security personnel; encourage states to
     grant school officials greater authority to
     conduct locker and automobile searches; and
     expand funding for mentoring, counseling, and
     outreach programs so kids in trouble with
     crime, gangs, or drugs can turn to someone for
     help.

Get tough on white collar crime

*    Bill Clinton will work to pass tougher
     criminal penalties for white collar crimes --
     including environmental crimes -- so that
     serious white collar criminals serve jail
     time.

*    Plea bargaining will be limited to questions
     of prison time, not how much money a white
     collar crook gets to keep.

*    Jail sentences will be served in real prisons,
     not high-tech summer camps.

Fighting Drugs

Governor Clinton has been tough on crime and drugs.
Penalties have been increased for repeat offenders,
drug dealers, and violent crimes.  At the same
time, the victims rights have been secured, crime
and drug prevention programs have been structured
into schools and businesses, and an innovative
"boot camp" program for first-time offenders has
been established.  Governor Clinton has carried out
the death penalty four times during his tenure.

*    Strengthened drug laws (for example, the
     rebuttable presumption for intent to deliver
     cocaine was reduced from 2 grams to 1 gram),
     toughened penalties for individuals convicted
     of selling drugs on or near school property,
     and increased the number of narcotics officers
     on the beat.

*    Under Governor Clintons leadership, a highly
     successful marijuana eradication program
     resulted in the destruction of over one
     million marijuana plants with an estimated
     value of more than $1 billion from 1982
     through 1991.

*    Established boot camps, a 105-day program of
     paramilitary exercise, arduous work, drug
     treatment and education to instill discipline
     in non-violent first offenders.  To date, boot
     camp participants have a low recidivism rate
     of 13.2 percent.


Protecting Victims' Rights

*    Fought for victims' rights: In 1977, as
     Attorney General, Clinton submitted two bills
     to provide compensation to crime victims.  As
     Governor, Clinton passed laws which guarantee
     the right of victims to be present in the
     courtroom in all phases of the judicial
     process; a Victim/Witness Coordinator assists
     victims and their families in coping with the
     criminal justice system; and a Victim
     Reparations Act compensates victims and their
     families. The National Organization for Victim
     Assistance has recognized Arkansas program as
     one of the most progressive in the country.

*    Adopted new good time  policies encouraging
     inmate education.  Since 1983, almost 4,000
     inmates have received their GEDs through this
     program, and have had a low recidivism rate
     (11.2 percent).
Newsgroups: alt.politics.clinton