Frank Riggs: “my amendment is intended to address the twofold problem of jail overcrowding in many of our communities across the…”

“my amendment is intended to address the twofold problem of jail overcrowding in many of our communities across the country today, and also it is designed to address the problem of instances where individuals who have been arrested for serious crimes and violent offenders are being released back into our communities after arrest on their own personal recognizance and promise to appear in court. This has become a particularly exaggerated problem in our communities because in many instances, these individuals are not only failing to appear in court to stand trial on original charges, but too often are going back out into our communities and are committing additional crimes. My amendment might be known as the jail, not bail, amendment to H.R. 667. Under my amendment, each State would be given the flexibility to use up to 15 percent of its funding under the act for jail construction. However, the chief law enforcement officer of each State, the Attorney General, would have to find that in order for the local communities to utilize these funds, that the State has adopted pretrial release restrictions that are at least as restrictive as those in effect in the Federal system, or that individuals charged with serious offenses or crimes of violence are not released without security.”