See How Your Politicians Voted
Title: Juvenile Crime bill
Vote Smart's Synopsis:
Vote to pass a bill that allows juveniles that commit violent crimes or specific drug offenses to be tried as adults more easily.
Highlights:
- Allows the Attorney General to determine if a 13 year old, who has allegedly committed a federal offense, should be tried as an adult.
- Allows juveniles 14 or older to be tried as adults for federal violent crimes and for federal drug crimes.
- Calls for juvenile records to be kept and available to the public in the same manner as adult offenders' records.
- Indicates that juveniles cannot be held in jails with adult offenders before or after trial.
- Calls on the Attorney General to establish an armed violent youth apprehension program to run for 5 years.
- Appropriates $1.5 billion for the fiscal years 1998 through 2000 to carry out the provisions within the bill.
- Calls for incentive grants for states to implement various programs, including: building correction or detention facilities, hiring additional juvenile judges, probation officers, court-appointed defenders and prosecutors, and establishing interagency information sharing programs to include juvenile and criminal justice system, schools and social services agencies.
- Stipulates that special priority be given to funding for law enforcement initiatives related to gangs.