Martin Hoke: “It also goes a step further with respect to legal aliens. That is people in this country legally, but who commit violent…”

“It also goes a step further with respect to legal aliens. That is people in this country legally, but who commit violent felonies, criminals, they get convicted and do time. That then becomes an issue upon which they can be deported upon having done their time in jail. And this is a change in the law--if they are sentenced regardless of whether or not they actually do the time, if they are sentenced for 5 years or more for a felony, they can be deported for that and they also lose the privilege of ever becoming an American citizen. These are important things because citizenship in this country is a privilege, and we should not be extending it to violent felons. Another thing I wanted to ask the gentleman about with respect to the crime bill and the changes we are going to make: I believe there are three things that are absolutely necessary. I call them the three C's. For the criminal justice system to work as a deterrent, you have to catch, convict, and confine. And you have to do all of that in a compressed period of time. When you do that, then somebody who is contemplating criminal activity knows that when they commit a crime they are going to be caught and when they are convicted they are actually going to do time. They are going to have to go to the big house, as the gentleman said.…”