WASHINGTON, D.C. - The Select Education Subcommittee heard testimony today on what role the federal government should play in the prevention and intervention of juvenile crime. The Juvenile Crime Control and Delinquency Prevention Act (H.R. 1900), authored by Reps. Jim Greenwood (R-PA) and Bobby Scott (D-VA), is designed to reduce the persistent problem of juvenile crime by giving states and local governments more flexibility to address their most pressing needs.

            “This legislation acknowledges that most successful solutions to juvenile crime are developed at the state and local level of government by those individuals who understand the unique characteristics of youth in their area,” said Greenwood. “We recognized that we needed to build some flexibility into the system, enough flexibility to allow the local officials to use their own good judgment based on the realities of each situation, and yet not give them so much flexibility that harm could be done to the child.”

            The panelists praised the bill for addressing the needs of troubled youth and families. “It has sufficient diversity to provide for the creativity that is required to engage every type of juvenile offender. I believe the sponsors and those who assisted in drafting this bill are to be commended for their high level of expertise. I could not think of one area of focus that was missed as I reviewed it,” stated Dominic Herbst, president of Bethesda Family Services.

            Select Education Subcommittee Chairman Peter Hoekstra (R-MI) expressed the importance of passing this bipartisan legislation, which overwhelmingly passed (424-2) the House in 1999 as an amendment: “We must not be complacent. Too many young people get involved in criminal activity, and we must do all we can to continue the downtrends of the past five years.”

            Education & the Workforce Committee Chairman John Boehner (R-OH) commended Reps. Greenwood and Scott for working together on this important piece of legislation, stating: “Giving states and local communities more flexibility in handling juvenile justice issues will enhance the success of these programs.”

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