Chuck Hagel on Crime Republican Sr Senator (NE)

Prosecute most dangerous crimes with full range of options

Indicate which principles you support to address crime.
• Do not eliminate the use of the death penalty for federal crimes.
• Increase spending to build more federal prisons.
• Impose “truth in sentencing” for violent criminals so they serve full sentences with no chance of parole.
• Support programs to provide prison inmates with vocational and job-related skills and job-placement assistance when released.
• Support programs to provide prison inmates with drug and alcohol addiction treatment.
• Implement penalties other than incarceration for certain non-violent offenders.
• Support programs that provide job training & placement services for at-risk youth.
• Expanded principles: “We need a full range of options to deal with a full range of offenders--community based prevention, counseling, + prosecution. I believe the Federal government should focus on prosecuting the most dangerous criminals. Programs to prevent crime & treat certain offenders are best handled by the states.”

Voted NO on reinstating $1.15 billion funding for the COPS Program.

Proponents recommend voting YES because:

This amendment reinstates the COPS Program. I remind everyone, when the COPS Program was functioning, violent crime in America reduced 8.5% a year for 7 years in a row. Throughout the 1990s, we funded the COPS Program at roughly $1.2 billion, and it drove down crime. Now crime is rising again. The COPS Program in the crime bill worked, and the Government Accounting Office found a statistical link between the COPS grants and a reduction in crime. The Brookings Institution reported the COPS Program is one of the most cost-effective programs we have ever had in this country. Local officials urgently need this support.

Opponents recommend voting NO because:

The COPS Program has some history. It was started by President Clinton. He asked for 100,000 police officers. He said that when we got to 100,000, the program would stop. We got to 110,000 police officers and the program continues on and on and on.

This program should have ended 5 years ago or 6 years ago, but it continues. It is similar to so many Federal programs that get constituencies that go on well past what their original purpose was. It may be well intentioned, but we cannot afford it and we shouldn't continue it. It was never thought it would be continued this long.

Voted NO on $1.15 billion per year to continue the COPS program.

Rated 50% by CURE, indicating mixed votes on rehabilitation.

CURE (Citizens United for Rehabilitation of Errants) is a membership organization of families of prisoners, prisoners, former prisoners and other concerned citizens. CURE's two goals are

1. to use prisons only for those who have to be in them; and
2. for those who have to be in them, to provide them all the rehabilitative opportunities they need to turn their lives around.