Political Quotes

“Mr. President, reserving the right to object, first, I want to express my appreciation for the work Senator Grassley, Senator Whitehouse, and others have done in crafting the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act. I agree with my colleagues--the bill improves the way we handle juvenile offenders. The bill properly focuses on rehabilitation and services that seek to turn juveniles away from crime and provide help to at-risk youth. I support the vast majority of the bill, and I hope it ultimately passes into law. However, I would like to take more time to discuss one specific provision of the bill relating to juvenile status offenders and secure confinement. Secure confinement is not and in my opinion should not be the preferred option for instances of alcohol possession, truancy, or other status offenses. In fact, current law bars judges from imposing secure confinement for initial status offenses. But I am concerned that the bill eliminates completely the ability for judges to order secure confinement for a short time in instances where a status offender flagrantly violates the judge's prior order for him to, say, enter into rehabilitation, counseling, or take part in other treatment services. In such narrow circumstances, it may be prudent to allow judges--often in consultation with the parents and attorneys involved--to have secure confinement as a means to enforce their own orders and to ensure that the juvenile receives the help he needs.…”