Paul Coverdell: “The former majority leader has embraced a very focused attack on crime in our country, and he begins--and I think it is…”

“The former majority leader has embraced a very focused attack on crime in our country, and he begins--and I think it is appropriate-- with the first pledge to cut teen drug use in half. I can't think of a grander thing to achieve that would do more good, reduce pain and anxiety and trouble in millions of American families. Sometimes these numbers get out of whack. We are talking about a sister, a brother, somebody in the neighborhood, and we are talking about 2 million of them who are now experimenting with drugs who did not 3 years ago. That is a city the size of my hometown, Atlanta, GA-- every person in it. Every one of those is a family and is in a personal crisis. So by focusing that as No. 1 is right on target. No. 2, an end to revolving-door-justice, which Americans have been so concerned about. One in every three persons arrested for a violent crime is on parole. Sometimes people say, ``Well, it costs too much to keep them in prison, $25,000, $30,000 a year.'' It costs $450,000 for them to be out of prison, in property damage and personal damage. No. 3, holding violent juveniles accountable for their actions. We all know we have a juvenile crime wave and it is tied to the drug wave. No. 4, making prisoners work. Only one-third of the prisoners work full time. We heard the Senator from Michigan addressing that. No. 5, keeping guns out of the hands of criminals.”