Joe Cunningham: “I commend both the minority and the majority for bringing this bill up as a suspension. It should pass well. But I would…”

“I commend both the minority and the majority for bringing this bill up as a suspension. It should pass well. But I would like to address something my friend, the gentleman from Rhode Island (Mr. Kennedy), said. It is not negative. It is just a difference of opinion and the fact that we ought to condemn our society for all of the people that are in jail. I remember a young gentleman that spray-painted a car in Singapore, and he was caned. And I guarantee you he would not do that in Singapore, although the gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Sensenbrenner) did tell me he did get in trouble in the United States and then got a letter from the head of Singapore and said, I do not think he would have done that here. In many cases, our penalties are not strong enough. We found that if many times a youth will commit a crime and just get their hands slapped, he will commit another crime and get their hands slapped and each time it elevates in severity. And many times we need the counseling, we need the guidance, I agree. And in first-time offenders I think it is very important too, but in many cases the penalty is not strong enough, so we end up with more people in jail.”