Lynn Schenk: “I want to emphasize the importance of one in particular--truth in sentencing. Like most other Members, I spent the past…”

“I want to emphasize the importance of one in particular--truth in sentencing. Like most other Members, I spent the past 2 weeks meeting with my constituents and listening to their concerns. And the one issue that was repeatedly mentioned as the most pressing problem facing our Nation today was not health care, or the economy--it was crime. The American public is scared and they want Congress to enact a crime bill that encourages truth in sentencing. Their message was clear: more prison time for rapists and murders, less prison time for nonviolent offenders. In California, inmates can cut their prison sentences in half with credits for good behavior or for working in prison. That means that murderers spend an average of 14 years in prison, rapists an average of 4 years, and child molesters an average of 3 years. A truth in sentencing law will change this by conditioning Federal funds for prison construction on State laws requiring that violent criminals serve at least 85 percent of their time.”