Frank Lautenberg: “when a child is murdered, families are devastated and communities are rocked to their very core. When a murderer is…”

“when a child is murdered, families are devastated and communities are rocked to their very core. When a murderer is prosecuted, grieving parents and siblings are forced to relive the often brutal details of the most profound tragedy imaginable. And, if a conviction is obtained, in too many instances, the families of a young victim must repeatedly relieve the crime every time the murderer goes before a parole board. The families of murder victims, especially murdered children, need closure. They need to know that they can put the horror and a tragedy behind them. They need to know that they can begin rebuilding their lives. But most importantly, they need to know that the person responsible for the crime will never bring harm and grief to another family. This is why, Mr. President, I am today joining my colleague from New Jersey, Senator Torricelli, in introducing legislation that will significantly increase the penalties on criminals convicted of a Federal crime where a child under the age of 14 is killed during the commission of that crime.”