Crime and Public Safety
The United States has the largest prison population in the world, but unfortunately the push to incarcerate has not resulted in safer and stronger communities.
Crime and Public Safety: Creating Safer Communities
In recent years, Metro Atlanta has experienced an alarming trend of increasing gang, youth, and relationship violence.
Every day, I read another horror story of a shooting, stabbing, or instance of bullying gone entirely too far. It is as if the value of life and respect for the thoughts, words, property, and body of others is forgotten. In response to my concern that violence and crime are becoming accepted as the social norm, I introduced:
- The SAFETY through Nonviolence Act;
- The National Parents Corps Act; and
- The Teen Dating Violence Awareness and Prevention Act.
I also lead the House of Representatives in fighting for funding for YouthBuild and other federal youth employment programs which help young people become educated, skilled, and off-the streets.
As a nation, the U.S. has the largest prison population in the world, but unfortunately the push to incarcerate has not resulted in safer and stronger communities. We must break this school to prison pipeline. I strongly support legislation that remedies our broken criminal justice system by -
- Providing law enforcement with the tools, resources, and training to protect our communities;
- Rectifying some of the injustices in our legal system like the disparity between sentencing for crack and cocaine offenses;
- Increasing rehabilitation services and resources particularly for non-violent offenders, their families and communities;
- Focusing on crime prevention efforts through education, mentoring, counseling, workforce training, and targeted efforts; and
- Reiterating the importance of using lessons-learned to attack the culture of violence.
