George W. Bush on Juvenile Crime

Solution to Columbine: Love your neighbor like yourself

BUSH: [Gore] says we ought to have gun-free schools. Everybody believes that. I’m sure every state in the union’s got them. You can’t carry a gun into a school. And there ought to be a consequence when you do carry a gun into a school. But Columbine spoke to a larger issue and it’s really a matter of culture, it’s a culture that somewhere along the line we’ve begun to disrespect life. Where a child can walk in and have their heart turn dark as a result of being on the Internet and decide to take somebody else’s life. Gun laws are important, no question about it. But so is loving children and character education classes and faith-based programs being a part of afterschool programs. This society has got to do a better job of teaching children right from wrong. And we can enforce law, but there’s a larger law: Love your neighbor like you’d like to be loved yourself. And that’s where our society must head if we’re going to be a peaceful and prosperous society. Source: Presidential Debate at Wake Forest University Oct 11, 2000

Safety at school & home: Project Sentry & Project ChildSafe

Establish Project Sentry to prosecute juveniles who bring guns to school, and adults who provide them.
Ban for life serious juvenile offenders from purchasing or carrying a gun.
Launch Project ChildSafe, a federal-state-local partnership to ensure that child safety locks are made available for every single handgun in America.

Source: Blueprint for the Middle Class Sep 17, 2000

Avoid Columbine via gun control, values & character ed

Saying America is “still wrestling with the lessons of Columbine,” Bush today called for tougher enforcement of gun laws and a greater emphasis on character education as the way to promote school safety. “Today is the sad anniversary of a terrible tragedy-a tragedy that shattered our sense of safety and security-a tragedy that hit home for every parent and every child and every school in America,” Bush said. “A year later, America is still wrestling with the lessons of Columbine,” Bush continued. “Strict enforcement of tough laws is important. But ultimately, the safety of our children depends on more than laws. It depends on the values we teach them and the kind of culture we create and condone.”

Promoting character education in public schools.
Enforcing gun laws and holding states & schools accountable for keeping students safe.

Source: Press Release, Temple TX Apr 20, 2000

Zero tolerance on disruption, guns, & school safety

Establish Project Sentry, a federal-state partnership to prosecute juveniles who bring guns to school or use them illegally and the adults who provide guns
Expect states and districts to establish a zero tolerance policy on disruption, empowering teachers to remove violent or persistently disruptive students from the classroom
Enact a Teacher Protection Act to shield teachers, principals, and school board members from meritless lawsuits arising from their efforts to maintain discipline
Require states and districts to provide all students in persistently dangerous schools with the option of transferring to a safe school
Hold states and districts receiving federal School Safety funds accountable for measuring and demonstrating improved safety
Call for a uniform reporting system on school safety and publish the results widely
Lift barriers to information being shared between schools and law enforcement agencies

Source: GeorgeWBush.com: ‘Issues: Policy Points Overview’ Apr 2, 2000

More laws & enforcement on juveniles with guns

Supports automatic detention for kids who commit crimes with guns
Supports banning juveniles from possession of semi-automatic “assault” weapons
Supports increasing the minimum age for possession of a handgun from 18 to 21

Source: GeorgeWBush.com: ‘Issues: Policy Points Overview’ Apr 2, 2000

Parental accountability is more important than trigger locks

Q: What about requiring trigger locks on guns?
A: I don’t mind trigger locks being sold. But the question is how do we enforce it. Are we going to have trigger lock police knocking on people’s doors saying show me your trigger lock? 80% of the guns sold today have trigger locks with them and I think that’s fine. I think there need to be laws that say that if a parent is irresponsible and a child ends up with a weapon, the parent ought to be held accountable. Source: GOP debate in Los Angeles Mar 2, 2000

“Tough-love” in strictly disciplined boot camps

Previously, juvenile offenders spent large parts of their day loitering or sleeping.. when juveniles arrive at our [“boot camp”] intake facility today, they are issued bright orange uniforms and their heads are shaved. They get up early, exercise regularly, and help maintain the facility. They don’t speak unless they are spoken to. we teach them they are accountable for their actions. We created strict alternative schools for students who caused problems in regular classes. Source: “A Charge to Keep”, p.212 Dec 9, 1999

Arrest for guns in school; track juvenile offenders

Required automatic detention [until released by a judge’s order] for juveniles who carry firearms illegally or commit crimes with a gun.
Expanded beds for housing violent juvenile offenders.
Created a spotlight program to team police with probation officers to track violent juvenile offenders.

Source: GeorgeWBush.com/News/ “1999 Texas Legislative Record” Jun 25, 1999

For tough juvenile justice laws

Each of us is responsible for the decisions we make in life. The old [juvenile justice] code used to say if you commit a crime it is not your fault, it is our fault. The new code recognizes that discipline and love go hand in hand. Our new juvenile justice code says there will be bad consequences for bad behavior in the state of Texas. We want you to understand you are responsible for the decisions you make in life. It’s called tough love. Source: (Cross-ref from Families & Children) Right Choices for Youth Jun 14, 1999

Increased penalties to rehabilitate juveniles

Governor Bush’s previous reforms include: rewriting the Texas Juvenile Justice Code, lowering to 14 the age at which the most violent juveniles can be tried as adults, expanding the use of fingerprinting and photographing juvenile criminals to help police track gangs, creating weapon-free school zones, toughening penalties for selling guns to kids, encouraging the use of boot camps and ‘tough love’ academies to house and rehabilitate juvenile offenders. Source: GeorgeWBush.com/News/ “Juvenile Justice” May 25, 1999

Filter - or avoid - media that romanticizes violence

After the Littleton, Colorado, shootings, Bush blamed popular culture for ‘romanticizing violence.’ He said he favored parental filtering devices for television and the Internet, but said the best solution was simply not to watch violent shows. Source: Reuters Apr 21, 1999

Track gangs; enact automatic sentencing

An excellent quality of life means safe neighborhoods. So I propose giving law enforcement the tools to fight the menace of gangs: a spotlight program to focus on violent juveniles, a statewide database to track gang activity across Texas and automatic jail time for juveniles who commit crimes with guns. Source: 1999 State of the State Address, Austin TX Jan 27, 1999

Supports trying minors as adults for violent crimes.

I want those young people who commit crimes to be held accountable for their actions; most 14-year olds who commit violent crimes can now be tried as adults and sent to adult prison. Source: www.governor.state.tx.us/divisions/faq_index.html 12/31/98 Dec 31, 1998

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