See How Your Politicians Voted
Title: Juvenile Crime bill
Vote Smart's Synopsis:
Vote to pass a bill that would strengthen penalties for juvenile criminals, establish youth rehabilitation programs and create other programs to reduce youth criminal activity.
Highlights:
- Authorizes juveniles 14 or older to be tried as adults in federal court if they commit serious violent or drug-related crimes.
- Subjects a juvenile who is charged as an adult in federal court to the same procedures and penalties as adults, but prohibits sentencing anyone under age 18 to death.
- Prohibits housing juvenile offenders in the same facilities as adults, but allows certain rural areas with limited juvenile facilities wider latitude in this regard.
- Authorizes $5 billion over the next five years for programs to prevent juvenile crime, including $450 million in block grants to states for juvenile accountability programs and $435 million for prevention programs.
- Strengthens penalties for individuals recruiting youths into street gangs.
- Establishes the National Parenting Support and Education Commission to provide parents with advice on how to keep their children away from crime.
- Requires mandatory background checks prior to the sale of firearms at gun shows or pawn shops.
- Increases penalties for possession of firearms by a juvenile, possession of firearms or ammunition on school property, and transfer of weapons or ammunition to a juvenile.
- Requires child safety devices be sold with all handguns.
- Prohobits Internet sales of weapons or explosives.
- Calls for a study of the effect of violence in video games and music on children.