Hillary Clinton on Juvenile Crime

Limit access to weapons; look for early warning signs

We have to make sure that our schools are safe. Our schools need more help from parents and from communities, and we also need more social workers and counselors who are trained to see the early warning signs. No school security system or metal detector can keep out the culture of violence that dominates the lives of so many of our children. We have to address issues of culture, and we have to ensure that young people do not have easy access to weapons; not only firearms but bomb making material. Source: www.hillary2000.org, “Safe Schools” Sep 9, 2000

Boycott violent media and products

There is an opportunity for more parents to act as consumers. Let people know you’re not going to buy products that support shows and things you do not believe in. Don’t buy those violent video games no matter how much your child begs. Source: School safety discussion in Tonawanda NY Aug 5, 1999

Entire school staff should focus on school safety

Too many children bring guns to school, too many children believe that violence & aggression is the way to solve problems. Teachers & principals need help. Everyone who works in a school-from the custodians, or the counselors, or the teacher’s aids- everyone needs help in knowing how to target those children who need extra help & make sure they get it; to diffuse difficult situations; to provide cooling off periods; and to remove from schools those students who are disrupting the learning of others. Source: Remarks to NEA in Orlando, Florida Jul 5, 1999

Early-warning hotlines for homicidal & suicidal students

We need more social workers & counselors who are trained to see the early warning signs in the schools. I would like to see nation-wide hotlines where students, and even teachers, can make referrals, anonymously if necessary, to try to bring attention to those students who are on the brink of homicidal or suicidal activity. And we have to do everything possible to keep guns out of the hands of children. There are too many guns & too many children have access to those guns-we have to prevent that. Source: Remarks to NEA in Orlando, Florida Jul 5, 1999

Ban kids’ unsupervised access to guns

Q: What actions can students take to help gun control further? A: Young people, especially teenagers, [should pledge] to not give any child unsupervised access to a firearm; not to go into homes, or let your younger siblings go into homes where you know guns are and are not safely stored and taken care of. You guys are going to a party, make sure there are no guns around. If you own a gun or you know people who do, make sure it’s locked up and stored without the ammunition. Source: ABC’s “Good Morning America” Jun 4, 1999

Metal detectors at school are not much of an intrusion

Q: How do you draw the line between bringing in security and students feeling violated? A: The metal detector is much less intrusive than having random searches. I think people feel that after a while that metal detectors didn’t become much of an intrusion-it’s like getting on an airplane. But that’s not the real problem. We have to protect kids, but we’ve got to create a climate in which kids feel free to seek out help, kids feel that they’ve got support if they’ve got problems. Source: ABC’s “Good Morning America” Jun 4, 1999

Society is responsible for alienation that causes violence

Q: Do you hold the parents accountable for the actions that their children have committed in Littleton & Springfield? A: Everyone has to be responsible for his or her own actions, so the individuals who have committed these crimes have to be held responsible. But we have to ask ourselves, what is it that leads a young person to feel so alienated, to feel so much hatred, to have unmet needs that would push them over the brink to do this. So I think we have to hold people responsible. Source: ABC’s “Good Morning America” Jun 4, 1999

Keep kids busy from 2PM to 8 PM to avoid trouble

The period between 2 & 8 PM is when children are most likely to get into trouble. This is when most juvenile crime is committed and when a child’s risk of becoming a victim of crime is greatest. After-school programs offer a wonderful opportunity for children not only to be protected and safe after school but to engage in educational activities as well. Successful after-school programs offer children safe places to do their homework, and counseling to help keep them away from drugs and violence. Source: “Talking It Over” column Nov 18, 1998

Give kids after-school activities to prevent gangs

One of the best ways to combat juvenile crime is to give kids something positive to do after school. Let’s follow Houston, where children play golf and soccer after school. Their mentors are coaches and teachers, not gang leaders. We also have a responsibility to protect our children at home. Guns are the fourth leading cause of accidental deaths among children. Almost half of American households have guns, but often, instead of being locked up, they are merely hidden or left in a drawer. Source: Column: “Talking it Over” Apr 20, 1998

Spend more time with kids to prevent violence

It’s time to turn the TV off & spend more time with our kids. Time is what every child wants and needs. We live in a fast world, where slowing down to spend time with our families is hard to do-unless we make it a priority. Our children are our greatest gift, our greatest responsibility, our greatest test. Never again do I want to wake in the middle of the night to the news that another child has murdered a classmate. It’s time for us to look into our children’s eyes and remember what’s important. Source: Column: “Talking it Over” Apr 20, 1998

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